Anyone Suffer From Foot Drop After Weight Loss?

[mbmoore2518 42]

I was banded on January 16, 2013. I have lost 130lbs and have been very overjoyed with my new body. I started having pain down the outside of my left calf about 6 weeks ago. It turned into a numb left foot and a condition called foot drop. I have read several different articles about how this can be inadvertently caused by the weight loss. Mainly because of the loss of cushion around the peroneal nerve and my terrible habit of constantly crossing my legs which can aggravate it. Anyone else had any experience with this? If so, did it go away and how long did it take? What was the course of treatment if any? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Melissa

[♕ajtexas♕ 3,771]

I had the same problem. Doctor said to stop crossing my legs and it will stop. Easier said than done, lol.

I try very hard not to cross my legs and the numbness has gone away. It does come back when that old habit sneeks back in though.

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

Holy cow, I have never heard of this before. Crazy!

I don't have any advice but I wanted to thank you for sharing it so the rest of us are aware of the possibility.

[mbmoore2518 42]

How long did it take for feeling to come back ?

[♕ajtexas♕ 3,771]

It took a couple of weeks, about a month before I realized that my leg/foot wasn't going numb anymore. I think I got use to it.

[mbmoore2518 42]

That gives me hope. I have had blood work to rule out pernicous anemia and an MRI of my back and now they want to do nerve conduction tests and a spinal tap to rule out MS and ALS. Has been exhausting. I still run 5 miles a day but I trip a lot. Lol.

[Leena 108]

I have had foot drop- but that was/is due to a herniated disc in my back (MRI showed it as well as arthritis). It happened in August after lifting a 50 pound bag of chicken feed the wrong way. It ended up giving me sciatica as well. Last week I went in for a spinal epidural to relieve the inflammation. I've also been through PT and chiropractic care for it since September. The PT and chiropractor did nothing for it. I think the chiropractor made it worse because I was constantly tripping over my own left foot when I left his office. He did adjustments, ultrasound, e-stim and ice.

I hope you get it sorted out. I'd never heard of it as a side effect of weight loss. My orthopedist is very anti-leg crossing when it comes to injuries. Crossing at the ankle is much easier on your body.

[mrsto 2,925]

I have had foot drop- but that was/is due to a herniated disc in my back (MRI showed it as well as arthritis). It happened in August after lifting a 50 pound bag of chicken feed the wrong way. It ended up giving me sciatica as well. Last week I went in for a spinal epidural to relieve the inflammation. I've also been through PT and chiropractic care for it since September. The PT and chiropractor did nothing for it. I think the chiropractor made it worse because I was constantly tripping over my own left foot when I left his office. He did adjustments, ultrasound, e-stim and ice.

I hope you get it sorted out. I'd never heard of it as a side effect of weight loss. My orthopedist is very anti-leg crossing when it comes to injuries. Crossing at the ankle is much easier on your body.

I used to think that chiropractors were the ultimate healers. Not anymore..... I've had epidurals on my lower back, and now I've got another herniated disc in my neck; C5-6. I didn't know, and started with the chiropractor. BIG mistake! This morning I had an epidural in my neck, and I'll know in a day or two if it's helping.

Right after one of my fills, my left arm started hurting like hell. I thought it was fill related; had a TNE & another test to see what was going on. Now, about 2-3 months later, my left arm has been so bad that I wanted to saw it off! Pins and needs down the front through my thumb. Weird. Nothing to do with the fill or band, just the compression from the herniation.

Sorry - I know this isn't anything about foot drop, but Leena's comment about the chiropractor making spinal issues worse, got me going :-) I think I'm still coming off the Propofol anesthesia I'm done with chiropractors......DONE! I've got too many spinal issues, and they tend to be one trick ponies.

[mrsto 2,925]

I don't get this new site..... My above response; quote to Leena's post, looks like it's part of MY post. This new site was FAR from ready to roll out. Must have been created by the same team that did the AHA site - lol. Beyond glitchy!

[mbmoore2518 42]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I am hoping to get back to normal asap.

[MzEboni912 177]

That gives me hope. I have had blood work to rule out pernicous anemia and an MRI of my back and now they want to do nerve conduction tests and a spinal tap to rule out MS and ALS. Has been exhausting. I still run 5 miles a day but I trip a lot. Lol.

I hope it is not really too serious.

[MzEboni912 177]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I am hoping to get back to normal asap.

Hoping for the best.

[mbmoore2518 42]

Thank you. Whatever it is, I will push on through. Life is good!

[bsellis 105]

I guess it could indirectly be related to weight loss if it's caused by crossing your legs. That's not something easily done until you've lost enough weight. I had the same issue but like what was already said it was due to my sciatic nerve. This happened in Feb of this year and I still have numbness and some pain on the outside of my right leg and the top of my foot and toes even though my back pain is now gone. Luckily it only caused my foot to drop for the first month. Good luck!

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

That gives me hope. I have had blood work to rule out pernicous anemia and an MRI of my back and now they want to do nerve conduction tests and a spinal tap to rule out MS and ALS. Has been exhausting. I still run 5 miles a day but I trip a lot. Lol.

I won't lie, I'm glad you're getting those tests done to rule out something more serious. When I first read this topic, I immediately worried about MS. (I have MS, btw) It's always better to be safe than sorry.