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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,258
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?

First off, I don't want to scare away those who are looking forward to a total knee surgery.  Go to it. Have it.  I had to have mine because my left knee joint was turning inward and as I walked, it would occasionally collapse, without notice.  At work, I'd go bashing into a wall, with an armful of surgical instrument trays.  So dangerous.  Or, I'd go crashing into cars in the parking lot.  Just did not want to end up falling flat on my face.

 

So, I had the surgery in May 2014, had a decent sleep the first night with all the meds in me, wake up and decide to do a self-assessment. 

 

As per usual, one starts at the bottom and works up.  I didn't get far, as I couldn't move my left foot toes.  I brought my right foot over to the left foot and rubbed my left foot: couldn't feel a thing.  Pressed the call button, told the nurse to get the Charge Nurse in here STAT.  She came in, then 2 more nurses, then 2 Residents, then the house Neuro.  Within an hour the Anesthesiologist who was on my OP team came down to assess me.  He did a decent job.  Did not see my surgeon until Day 3.  He hemmed and hawed.  Never did commit anything to me verbally while I was in the hospital, but the Anesthesiologist returned  the morning of Day 3 indicating he had spoken with my surgeon and the surgeon indicated surgical errors which included either device or instrument laceration of nerve or nerves unknown.  He ordered an EMG.  the Neuro who performed the EMG and nerve conduction study indicated she could not get a read from the tibial nerve.  She tried many times and was frustrated.  The read from the sural nerve was very weak.  Docs don't usually share these test results - I know from experience.

 

This nerve damage, then, accounted for the paralysis and what I'm been feeling since as if someone is grabbing my foot inside and squeezing it painfully.  Additionally, and my surgeon owns up to it, one of his surgical techs was "overly aggressive in retracting the ITB (band) near the knee" where it inserts into the tibia.  This has caused 24/7 stabbing pain since the surgery, causing me to awaken from sleep I don't know how many times.

 

Present day paralyzed toes:  I'm now 5 years out from the surgery and find that my toes are contracting a tic more, enough so that wearing a shoe is painful.  I can only wear Sketchers Go-Walks as it is, so I'm dumbfounded.

 

Anyone else out there have issues with paralyzed toes?

 

Thanks in advance.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,411
Registered: ‎05-02-2017

Re: Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?

 

 

I am so sorry to hear your story.  

 

My mother is struggling with ongoing issues after her knee surgery.

 

I hope you were able to receive some type of settlement/ongoing medical support from the doctors due to all their errors.

 

I will keep you in my thoughts and wish you the best.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,767
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?

I am amazed the "doctors" admitted wrong-doing.   

♥Surface of the Sun♥
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,258
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?

[ Edited ]

@FancyPhillyshopper wrote:

 

 

I am so sorry to hear your story.  

 

My mother is struggling with ongoing issues after her knee surgery.

 

I hope you were able to receive some type of settlement/ongoing medical support from the doctors due to all their errors.

 

I will keep you in my thoughts and wish you the best.


@FancyPhillyshopper 

 

Sorry about that.  I had nearly completed this reply, when my pinkie finger hit a key and my reply disappeared.  At least I thought it had disappeared, so I started over....  See the real version in a different post.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,258
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?

@FancyPhillyshopper 

 

 

So sorry to hear about on-going issues which are troubling your mother.  What first comes to mind is to ask whether her surgeon used Navigation in order to determine where to mark the bone and where to remove the necessary portion; or, perhaps her surgeon simply eyeballed it, as have thousands of surgeons for decades.  This last is where a lazy surgeon can sometimes bring real suffering to the post-op patient.

 

Next step for your mother is to find out who in your area or region is the knee expert regarding "failed" knee replacements.  It's time for a referral to that surgeon.

 

And, no, I've had nothing in terms of treatment or anything else regarding these surgical injuries.  I've been told I don't rate it.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,258
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?


@Desertdi wrote:

I am amazed the "doctors" admitted wrong-doing.   


@Desertdi 

 

Well, I was a VIP patient and he couldn't very well deny what had occurred.  Nerves just don't lacerate themselves.  Know what I mean?

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,767
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?


@sfnative wrote:

@Desertdi wrote:

I am amazed the "doctors" admitted wrong-doing.   


@Desertdi 

 

Well, I was a VIP patient and he couldn't very well deny what had occurred.  Nerves just don't lacerate themselves.  Know what I mean?

 


@sfnative  Yes, I do understand.    I have a reconstructed ankle, and have limited mobility..........and I also know that trying to "fix it" might leave me worse off.    I wish you well, and hope you find a solution.   di

♥Surface of the Sun♥
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,504
Registered: ‎05-22-2014

Re: Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?

@sfnative, What a horror story.  I feel so sorry for you.  No matter how hard we try, we are dependent upon caregivers to do a proper job.  I’m amazed that a “mistake” was admitted.

Any surgeon could find themselves suddenly being a patient of another surgeon, right?  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 17,739
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?

I wonder if a sandal, like a birki ,might  give you some measure of comfort?

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,258
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Anyone here have paralyzed toes and foot?


@cherry wrote:

I wonder if a sandal, like a birki ,might  give you some measure of comfort?


@cherry 

 

Hi Cherry,

 

BTW, thank you for your comment the other day.  I'm glad to be able to have the opportunity to tell you this.

 

Funny thing.  I had about 5 pair of Birkenstocks and wore them all the time, except to work (had to wear duty shoes).  When the post-op swelling, which always includes the foot, had receded, I went to slip on a pair of Arizonas and "Ouch!"  With the paralysis, came some really spikey pain.  I did seek out the counsel of a foot specialist about this bad pain and he said it is very typical, as will be the deterioration of foot muscles innervated by the 2 nerves.  So, now the horizontal arch in my foot is completely flat and my toes are arching terribly.  My present thought is to go back to this ortho foot specialist and ask if tendons can be clipped, as it appears my toes will never be of any use to me.

 

Hope I can still hear from someone who has paralyzed toes.