Nerve block

[missywv]

I had a L5 nerve block last Thursday to try to reduce pain, thigh muscle weakness and constant pins and needles in my foot.  The first day it seemed like it had worked, but then my ankle started hurting something fierce.  I thought maybe I had twisted it during the hours I was numb after the injection, but its coming and going and all of a sudden worse today.  I tried massaging the area and I discovered it made my foot tingle more so now I'm thinking its a complication of the nerve block.  Standing doesn't hurt, only rotating my foot or stretching the ankle.  Anybody else run into this sort of thing?

[karen717]

Have you called your doc? I don't know a lot about nerve blocks as I have never had one (my mother has), but it sounds as if maybe you would want your dr's opinion. Maybe he will tell you that it just needs some time, but I would want his opinion. Let us know how you are doing. I have had discs pressing nerves w/ankle pain (very bad) but mine was a ruptured disc w/bone fragments on the nerves which had to be surgically removed. Good luck.

[missywv]

I spoke with the Pain Clinic yesterday.  The doctor thinks that I just "over did" it after the nerve block last week.  I guess he didn't take into account that I'd done absolutely nothing between the numbing wearing off and the pain starting.  I went to physical therapy last night, the therapist did a few manual tests and said that the ankle pain is from "neural tension", not muscular or tendon related.  The tightness and pain is a whole lot worse today, up into the knee and hip.  Thank goodness I'm scheduled for another nerve block today - I'm going to go to talk to the doctor in person but I think I will decline the actual injection today.  I'm 25% worse today than I was before the nerve block!!!!

[karen717]

Sometimes, I've heard that procedures like that may need to be done more than once to work. Maybe they didn't get the right nerve the first time. I'm glad you are talking to your dr. in person. Sometimes, they need to SEE the pain we are in. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Karen

[missywv]

Wow, what a difference it made seeing him in person! He's an awesome doc - spend a long time talking to me. So in case anybody else comes looking for similar information, here's the scoop......Doc said if the nerve block is going to cause adverse effects (nerve flare up, allergic reaction, etc) it is going to happen pretty much immediately (within minutes).  But since I had 2 or 3 days of pain relief, my pain and nerve tension were not caused by the block.  We know he got the right nerve during the first one, because I was totally numb from my spine to the tip of my big toe for 12 hours. (Wow, that felt so good!)  So his opinion is that I have had some kind of change in my spine - either the disk has further deteriorated or the vertebrae has moved further displacing the nerve - so he ordered another MRI.  The disk space is already so narrow and bone on one in one area, so it wouldn't surprise me if things have changed. I went ahead and had the nerve block and had a horrible evening filled with pain.  But today was awesome!!!  Absolutely no leg pain at all, just the deep spinal aching from the actual procedure (which is normal). It'll be gone tomorrow (and worth it).  Whewwww!

[karen717]

Good for you! I'm glad things are working out. Relief is a wondeful thing!
Karen