Since 1990, two months after giving birth, with an epidural, I began falling, unable to prevent it, and it has continued since. Whether I stub my toe, step on uneven ground or a small object, like a rock, or catch my heel on the stairs, my legs go numb and I fall. Unless there is something sturdy, or someone beside me I can grab onto, I fall-hard-and usually on my knees. I have been to several
neurologists, had the needle tests, had arthroscopic on my left knee, then finally, both knees replaced. I'm still falling. It definitely feels like a nerve has been struck & the feeling temporarily goes out of my legs. I question whether the epidural had an affect on my spinal nerves, since it didn't happen until after that. I also question whether my having had spinal meningitis when I was four years old could impact it. It did afffect my coordination, but I'd "outgrown" it, and hadn't had a problem with falling for years. Even then, there was no numb feeling.
I use a cane, for fear of falling, but it's no guarantee. I suffer from depression and anxiety attacks, and the near-constant fear of falling only compounds it.