L5 Nerve repair

[johanleft]

In 1992 I had a discectomy and in 1995 they did a fusion (L4/5). Due to my back injury and the surgery, I have a left foot drop. I could no more lift my left foot tows and my outside of this foot. The nerve that feeds the inside footmuscle did still work and therefore I could only pick up my foot to the inside. In 1998 they cut loose th inside foot tendon and rerouted the tendon to the middle of my foot where after I could lift this foot a little more normal.

In 2006 I had a further injury to the same fusion (came loose) where they had to remove and redo the fusion. This time I also lost the little control I gained from the tendon rerouting of 1998. The Orthopedic specialist, after he did the operaion, told me that he saw severe  nerve damage and that he did not think that I will get back any control over the upwards motion on my left foot. I have now no upwards control over my left foot and have a brace to support my leftfoot.

A month ago my therapist arranged for me to under go a neuro test and see if (may be) a bioness NESS L300 unit might be a better option for me. The nerve study showed that no impulse or "signals" are going through via the nerve that feeds the muscles, that needs to lift my foot, and they said that the nerve damage seems to be severe. Needles to say, the L330 did not work on me. I can still stepdown with this foot-thus the nerves that feeds the calve and tow muscles to pull the foot and tows down is still good.

Question: I know it is no simple solution or matter but how advanced is the medical knowledge/ procedures /technology as far as for joining/splicing/ repair nerves in the spinalcord or where it comes out of the spinalcord pass the vertibra and discs? Are there other possibilities for someone like me?

Johan

[caregiver222]

Unfortunately, the liklihood is that you are at the end-of-the line treatment wise. In Singamore, there are several studies using stem-cells underway, however the results have been inconsistent. Furthermore, your nerves have been not only rerouted but probably damaged by the surgury. You have not necessarily been the victim of poor medicine, but your case points out that a laminectomy should be a procedure that is not undertaken lightly. In europe ozone has been ijected into the interstitial spaces as an alternative to a laminectomy, allegedly with good success. You can continue to check Pubmed, the National Medical database, which is one of the best places to keep up with new information.