Foot Drop After Vaginal Delivery

I had a friend who ended up with drop foot after being hospitalized for an extended amount of time (double lung transplant with complications). He did a lot of PT and wore a boot. The issue he had was that this wasn't even on the radar of treatment for several months so his outcome after everything was done was enough to be able to function but not much more.

Be your best advocate in your treatment. Ask as many questions as needed. Do your research. Work on PT at home and try to push yourself as much as you can. Although the doctors are there to help its really you who has to make sure you are getting everything you need. Become your own expert of this.

Its ok to be depressed over this because its something you didn't foresee or expect. But now that its been 6 weeks you need to stop the pity party and become a warrior to fight for what you want.

I googled it because I had never heard of this but all the sites I found said it is caused by damage to the nerve that runs behind your knee. Apparently even squats can do this damage and childbirth but it didn't seem to have anything to do with the epidural.

Oh but the good news, from google of course, usually physical therapy works but if not there is surgery to fix the damaged nerve.

I hurt my calf muscle running Monday, now after this googling I am sure I have the same nerve damage that you do. Which is why I tend to avoid google, it always makes me feel on the brink of death. :)

It has only been six weeks! I am sure it will work out.

Wanted to add, did more googling and it can be caused by spinal cord injury but here is the good news on that, it heals slowly so it may still heal with the therapy you are doing. With my second they nicked the tube the spinal cord is in. Causes pressure issues and gives you one massive headache. It was over 4 weeks before that small little hole healed and the pressure went back to normal.

Enjoy your child and please for your sanity don't second guess any of your choices and beat yourself up. We moms do that too much.

C., welcome to mamapedia!

Drop foot is a peripheral nerve damage. You have your answer. Not sure what you are looking for? Nerves take time to heal. You need to keep doing the physical therapy and you need to keep moving.

Part of your depression could be postpartum depression. Please talk with your OB/GYN about this as well. Your life just changed drastically with the birth of a baby. You looking at all the things you USED to do. You can still do them with a baby AND nerve damage. Tell your physical therapist what you want to do and ask them to work with you on getting back to that level.

sister in law had a numb leg, then foot for months after her last child. said child is now going to be 9 and she says theres a quarter size spot on the side of her foot thats numb and tingly still. but she has full function. so its possible it will heal, but it will take more than a few weeks to do so.

I feel your pain. My bladder was injured as a result of the epidural. To make a long story short my bladder did not work at all for 10 days. I left the hospital with a catheter. After a few days a nurse came to my home and taught me how to catherize myself. The bladder is a muscle and giving birth and having the epidural caused trauma to it. Best of luck to you. I hope this resolves very soon for you.

How truly awful for you! I have no advice or information, but I wish I did. I'm so sorry this happened to you . . . puts my stupid tailbone problem in perspective.

I really hope you are able to find some answers from your doctors and some encouragement here.

Blessings to you and your family.

eeeEEEEeeeeeEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEE!!!!!
i had TWO epidurals delivering boy #1 and had no idea this was a potential side effect!
i'm so sorry. what a nightmare.
nerve damage is a toughie. i'm glad you're doing PT and hope it continues to improve. go to your doctor and get meds and any other help necessary to manage the pain.
you must be pretty overwhelmed. i wish i had any useful knowledge on the subject. i sure hope you get some answers and hope very soon.
khairete
S.

So sorry for what you're going thru.
This post and answers show several reasons why NOT all SANE women have epidurals. They have become way too mainstream imo.

Nothin good comes from epidural.. at least from my own experience with having one.. I still have nerve pain at times.

My epidural was too high. My upper body felt numb, but my legs I could feel. It was ridiculous. Ended up needing an emergency c-section.. so I get you.

However, it has only been 6 weeks. If you had told me 6months I may have been more worried. I felt numb ( stomach area and where incision for c-section was) and had sciatic nerve pain for about three months after having my son..

Nerves take longer to heal. Sometimes I still have pain if I stand in one place for two long.. my back starts to tense up and my knee and hip start up.
I've learned to listen to my body. Yoga helps and stretching/leg lifts curb the pain. You need to retrain your body. We all need to do this to some degree after having a child.

If physical therapy isn't effective, especially after a long period, surgery may be recommended. There is also pain management clinics that will help you.

If you are depressed-I agree that it could be post partum, but I'm sure this condition isn't helping. I would suggest talking to your physician or a therapist in working through your feelings.

Good luck to you, and keep us posted!

I am so sorry. I know a lot of what you are going through. I have similar but different problems. After having both my kids I started having back problems that became very very bad. Nerve pain, sciatica, extreme lower back pain that would be worse at night. I spent two years not being able to sleep and dealing with so much pain (the pain was so much worse at night). I also used to run races, triathalons, climb mountains, ski, kayak, and do big adventure trips...but no more. I was also told by a doctor that I will probably end up in a wheelchair. I also have seen all those kind of docs, done many MRIs, tests, etc. I cannot run anymore or do much of anything...just gentle small walks or swimming. I did do spinal injections to try to reduce any swelling in there. They royally sucked but I do think they helped a bit. Then I saw different physical therapists. For 2.5 years I have been doing physical therapy every day. I found one woman who is pretty amazing and really focused on my body and what muscles I was using. I am much better than I used to be but it has been a veeeeeery slow process. I believe the physical therapy just very very slowly has helped. I still cannot do what I used to do, but at least I can sleep at night. I strongly recommend physical therapy but also to try out different people with different philosophies because they are not all the same. I got recommendations from friends, the massage therapist, and read about people on their websites. After the physical therapy was helping and I saw improvement then I upped my walking/activity in life. I was super weak, sore and tired at first but now I can do a lot more. Each month I improve a little. If you are like me you have to be super patient because it's a really slow process of recovery. :( I am so sorry. I also have had to deal with depression about this...it's not fair. It has been a very hard last 2.5 years. The hardest thing is not being able to do the things I enjoy that I considered to be a part of who I was as a person. PS - After all this time I now I can walk about 3-4 miles. In a way this is depressing since I used to enjoy 15 mile hikes, trail runs, etc. But I am trying to stay positive about it and remember that this is a huge improvement.

There are braces you can get. I was fitted for one. I didn't end up buying it because in the end, I didn't have drop foot.

It attaches from your shoelaces to going around your calf. It keeps your toes up so you don't walk on them.

I was fitted for one by a podiatrist.

When I had foot nerve issues (I cut my foot deeply in my twenties and lost the feeling in 2 of my toes) when I had pain, they told me that was a good sign. The nerves were coming back - and apparently (i'm not an expert on this, trying to remember what they said) they rejoin - in new paths? and this takes a while. Mine was a cut, but maybe it's the same if yours are damaged. I sometimes felt pain, then it went to pins and needles, and eventually - no pain at all.

So give it time. Listen to what they tell you. Don't get too depressed - even people who have had strokes have learned to walk again. But check out the devices (like the one I was fitted for) as a way to make do for now. May help you out.

Best to you

I don't have any medical advice other than to be patient. As for your "sane human being" comment", I guess I'm insane. I chose no epidural, no pain medicine whatsoever for both of my children. My son was born not breathing and a was a full code. The nurse in the special nursery said if I had chosen to use anything he would not be alive today. I had my daughter at the hospital with not even an IV and I only pushed twice and she was born.

First I have to say that I'm sorry a couple of ladies found it necessary to kick you while you're down. I'm not surprised though- I knew once I read the 'sane' comment that someone (or two) would not be able to see past themselves to help you.

Anyway, I am so sorry you are dealing with this! I can't imagine how scary it must be to wonder when basic function will return. I think PT is probably a great start, and hoping that since you started seeking treatment so quickly that might help. Keep researching and finding docs who specialize in this. And try to find a balance between not giving up but being patient. If all you think about is making this go away, you'll miss precious moments with your baby. Don't stop seeking opinions and treatment, but know that it may take some time. I hope you feel better soon. Please keep us posted.