peroneal nerve damage

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  • #3251 Reply
    Rob
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    It’s four weeks ago since I got my tpf (type IV), on my right leg. I am three weeks after surgery. One week with full leg cast and now for two weeks with a brace. With this type of fracture there is a high risk of damage to the peroneal nerve. I think I have this damage. There is a numbness on my shin and top of my foot and I can not lift my toes or foot towards my body. Two weeks ago my doctor said that the numbness on the skin is temporarily. It is caused by a small damage of the nerve because they had to move it slightly during the surgery.
    Anyone else have some experience with this type of injury? Should I just be patient (one should always be patient with tpf) or could this damage be permanent?

    Rob

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    • #110463 Reply
      Gillian White
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      I have also got a similar problem with this numbness from a TPF/surgery. Part of the top of my foot, and a portion down the side, from the knee down to the ankle, left of the scar is numb.

      I know this is an old post, but I would like to hear about the recovery time for this type of issue. I am 9 weeks from surgery.

      Did it just take time for the numbness to just disappear and return to normal.

    • #5330 Reply
      Mickey
      Guest

      Rob,
      Right after my injury I could not curl or flex my toes for abt 4-5 days. It’s better now and doc said most likely due to nerve impingement. Maybe from insult or swelling (?) No surgery for me but I also gave the huge splint and am not happy. Bad timing I guess because I just lost my mother abt 4 mos ago, so two grieving processes going on here.
      Thank God I married a SAINT who can’t do enough for me ☺️ Good luck and keep us posted.

    • #3573 Reply
      Rob
      Guest

      Thank you very much everybody for your support and advice.
      I consulted a nerve specialist and it is official now: my peroneal nerve is damaged. The nerve is examined (measured with some electrical tools). When the doctor used a taser-like tool and stimulated the nerve just above the damaged part, my foot lifted. Something I wasn’t able to do for several weeks. This means the axons of the nerve are not damaged, but the sheath of the axons are. This reduces the ability to conduct the normal impulse of a nerve cell. Electrical impulses will pass through the nerve, but not enough and therefore I cannot lift my foot. In another test a tiny needle measured some electrical activity in the muscle that should move my foot or toes, when I tried to move them as hard as I could. This also proves that impulses reach the muscle, but not enough.
      The damage is not caused when I fractured my knee. I could move my foot an toes when I was examined at the first aid the evening I broke my knee. The nerve damage is probably caused during the week I had to wait for my surgery and my leg was fixed in a plaster cast. Because of the fracture my lower leg was displaced a bit outwards and backwards, so the peroneal nerve was more exposed than normal and got stuck between head of the calf bone and the cast.
      It will probably recover completely but this will take several months to maybe more than a year.
      No big deal at the moment. I still have seven weeks to wait until full weight bearing :-).

      • #110462 Reply
        Sai
        Guest

        Hi Rob,

        How are you now. I have the same injury and my foot drop is still there . Been more than 18 months after injury.
        Are you able to pull your toe tiwards your body?

    • #3431 Reply
      Jo helliwell
      Guest

      I had the same type of TPF as you and I also have nerve problems. My accident happened in March this year. I had foot drop like you and used a scarf to help pull the foot the exercise it. It lasted about eight weeks and eventually recovered. I still have the numbness down my leg and my physiotherapist is massaging it to help the nerves. This can be done by myself as well, it’s not pleasant but hopefully it will help with time. Time is the key to this injury and we have to be patient I am afraid. They can make a splint to help lift your foot eventually and when these nerves repair the foot will lift again. Good luck with your recovery.

    • #3415 Reply
      Lisa
      Guest

      Hi Rob,

      WOW!

      Your doctor did not know about this as being a possible consequence of a TPF?!? That is a shock to me, as it does seem to be a well established issue that can result in TPFs.

      I am sorry you are going through this. However, my doctor assured me that if I had to deal with this nerve damage (she spent a lot of time with me pre-surgery in the hospital), in a good chunk of cases it DOES get BETTER…the thing to remember is that it can take several months to do so.

      Hold tight and I do wish you well, sir!

    • #3413 Reply
      Rob
      Guest

      The big patch of numb skin is still there. Not just my shin, but extending down to my ankle, instep, all the way to my big toe. With a pen I marked the boundary of this area, so my doctor could see it yesterday. He was surprised when I told him about this symptoms; the numbness and not being able to lift my foot or toes. He did not know about this complication with this type of TPF. And I was surprised that he was surprised. He advised me to consult a nerve specialist. This will happen next week. It looks like the area of dead skin is a bit smaller than two weeks ago, and I can move my foot just a little bit more. But this could be wishful thinking. It is certainly not enough to lift my foot off the accelerator when driving a car.

    • #3316 Reply
      Jeremy p
      Guest

      I have the same thing happening, my whole schin feels like a huge patch of thick dead skin after my compartment syndrome surgery. My doctor told me to rub thick lotion multiple times a day to stimulate those nerves and get them active again..

    • #3286 Reply
      Eileen
      Guest

      Rob,

      Nerves that are cut during surgery often take a year or longer to heal. However, keep checking with your doctor and get another opinion if needed.

      Eileen

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