Herniated Disc Foot DropHerniated disc foot drop is part of the possible symptomatic profile of some diagnosed disc pain conditions. While foot drop can and does happen from structural compression of a nerve root, there are also other more common and less diagnosed explanations for the event. It is crucial to understand these possibilities before undergoing any drastic or invasive herniated disc treatment or surgery, since once neurological or spinal damage is done; there may be no undoing it…What is Herniated Disc Foot Drop?
Foot drop is a colloquial term used to describe a condition in which the patient has difficulty in elevating the front of the foot while leaving the heel on the ground. It is most often diagnosed as coming from L5 nerve root compression, but may also be diagnosed as being caused by L4 or S1 in other rare cases. These nerve roots all serve drastically different areas of the anatomy, providing the first clue that structural compression may not be the likely source of symptoms after all…
Bulging Disc Foot Drop CausesA herniated disc or arthritic osteophyte complex can impinge on a nerve root in some cases, causing functional impairment and foot drop. However in these cases, there is little doubt as to the actual source, since diagnostic testing will confirm a particular root being affected and the symptoms will match the clinical expectations EXACTLY. This rarely occurs… Far more often, a lumbar herniated disc is present, but does not seem to be compressing anything for sure… Although this is enough for most doctors to make the diagnosis, the ideology is flawed and the results will be the usual abysmal failure when it comes to treatment. In most cases, the herniated disc is coincidental and innocent and the real reason for the pain and foot drop is regional ischemia, which explains why there is often far more symptoms than should be experienced from a single compressed spinal nerve root.Herniated Disc Foot Drop AdviceDo not assume to blame foot drop on a herniated disc, since statistics show that it occurs in many cases where the disc is not the cause at all. Be especially careful about undergoing surgery for said disc, since misdiagnosis is the major reason for the poor curative results offered by most medical herniated disc therapies. If your symptoms do not match the clinical expectation or diagnostic evidence, I strongly recommend that you consider learning more about ischemia and the other possible reasons for foot drop and sciatica before seeking treatment.Herniated Disc Foot Drop to Herniated Disc 4/20/10 Revised 7/16/11 |
Sensei Adam Rostocki
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