Any Peroneal Nerve recovery stories?

[lookitsdre]

Hey everyone, its been a while since ive checked this forum and updated anything, but im glad to see that some of you have made progress. I hope everyone here makes progress and gets back to the way they were.

A little bit about my last 6 months- I hadn't made any progress with dorsiflexion and I was beginning to get nervous. I switched my insurance a little while ago so that I could choose which specialists I could see. Unfortunately Dr. Dellon does not bill through insurance so that was my reason for not seeing him. I went to UCLA and saw Dr. Pouratian, a neurosurgeon... Finally, a doctor that agreed that decompression surgery would be beneficial.
Well, on thursday, I went in for surgery. It was schedualed to be about 3 hours long. The doctor went over the procedure with me and then brought up the point that there may be complications, I gave him permission to make an executive decision during surgery that he could do a nerve cable graft if it was nessesary. It turned out that my knee was severely surrounded by scar tissue(gee, I would've never guessed) and it was severely traumatized.Once the scar tissue had been removed the surgeons performed an EMG test to see conductivity. There was nothing, the nerves werent firing even with three different procedures. So they went ahead and grafted my nerves. Its now three days after surgery and I have high hopes, despite what statistics show and what the doctor says.
I just want to wish everyone a successful recovery, and I want you all to be persistent with your doctors. Dont give up and dont be submissive to them. Go get alternate oppinions until you get the correct answers and actions...and wish me luck haha. lets all keep our heads up

[BIGEL]

Good to hear from you again Dre!  I wish you a speedy recovery!

[cris]

Dre,

Best of luck with your recovery!  Keep the spirits up.

Bigel, good to hear from you.  You are definitely an inspiration with your positive attitude. For me it's hard, sometimes I get down thinking about what I used to do and what I have become. My family and prayers keep me going and it has only been 3 months for me. 

Does anyone know what Dr Dellon charges for surgery?  I have a high deductible for out of network doctors but if he is the best I will have to pay out of my pocket for most of it.

Thanks
Cris

[BIGEL]

Hey Xneumanx and Cris,

Xneumanx, 

After going out and purchasing various types of shoes and sometimes returning them, I discovered comfort and stability goes hand in hand when buying the perfect shoe with foot drop.  The lighter the shoe the better off you are.  Insoles are important, they help with stability.  Especially when you don't have arches.  I'm not afraid to say I purchased some casual shoes from Payless since my injury.  You can fine quality lightweight shoes there.  My favorite sneakers are New Balance, Saucony, Asics and Adidas.  All lightweight sneaker makers and if needed you can place supportive insoles in them for stability.  Glad you have recovered Xnemanx!

Cris,

Believe me when I tell you I have been on that same road you are travelling on.  It does get better, let the time past and do everthing in your power to get better.  When my Orthro Dr. told me it will be at least 6 mos for me to recover, I did not believe him.  Then, the bad news started coming in.  MRI confirms torn ligs and a badly stretched peroneal nerve.  Having to deal with my unstable knee first then the foot drop.  My wife took great care of me till the end of my 9th month, thats when I showed signs of recovery.  I knew I was a burden to her and she kept strong.  Keep postive and stay active!  Dr. Dellon seems great, some of the older bloggers have mentioned him.  By him not taking insurance at all is terrible.  If you live in or around the New York City area, The Hospital For Special Surgery specialize with these types of injuries as well.  That would have been my first choice.  My Orthro is good too.  Dr. Richard Semble at Orangetown Orthopedics in Orangetown NY.  Keep that head up! I pray also.       
                                                                                                                  Bigel

[lookitsdre]

Cris, I was told that the consultation alone is around 700 dollars. That was when I called the office in Henderson NV. Im not sure what the cost of surgery is
But most importantly, dont let this get you down. Bigel just said it, and I will too. We've felt the same way, but that feeling doesn't help you. Being positive and trusting yourself will help you. Back in January I pretty much accepted this as what it was. I hate to say it, but I gave up for a moment. I moved to northern california and got a job working on a ranch. Because I was not in the city and surrounded by the public, I basically hid myself, footdrop, and got used to my foot being the way it was. I bought a pair of Danner boots which helped me walk and carry on almost like normal. And to be honest, I still outperformed almost everyone I worked with...Deep inside though, I knew I cant give up. Im 22 years old and I still have a long life ahead of me. I know you all do too regardless of age. This is not something to hold us back, and its not something that can defeat you or your spirits. Its hard, but you're stronger. I know I'm rambling so I'll make my point clear- this is a LONG recovery, BUT YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS

[bb1235]

I have bilateral footdrop as a result of a peroneal nerve injury sustained in a car accident nearly 1 year ago.  To say it's been frustrating is a massive understatement yet at the same time I'm lucky to be alive as the accident was very severe.  I shattered my pelvis, my patella, broke both arms, my right foot and my L5 vertebrate.  Tomorrow I'm going in for tendon transfer surgery on my left (the weaker of the two) foot as well as undergoing a nerve graft near the pelvis.  There will be three doctors performing the surgery.  The neurosurgeon said the odds of a successful nerve graft and a full recovery aren't great at this point, unfortunately.  However, regarding the tendon transfer surgery, one doctor was very optimistic about my chances of being able to walk without an AFO and return to an active lifestyle.  In fact, I agreed to give him golf lessons for life if he fixes my foot (I was an accomplished golfer pre-accident).  This doctor is very well known and well regarded so I'm going to take him at his word.  The other doctor was slightly less optimistic giving me a 50/50 chance of getting out of a brace.  I'm nervous about the surgery, I'm relatively young and the foot drop has killed my confidence and independence.  I begin graduate school in 6 weeks so this surgery is coming at the last moment.  It's difficult for me to determine if my nerves are healing because I still have the foot drop (and very tight achilles) but I've regained feeling and some motion.  The problem is I'm 6'4'' so even if the nerves were regenerating, my feet still would not have recovered.  All the doctors I've spoken to said that I'm a very good candidate for the tendon transfer which is encouraging.  Honestly, I don't care about running or being able to play tennis like I used to, I just want to be able to walk regularly.  After grad school I'll be entering a highly competitive job market (currency trading) and need every advantage I can get.  My biggest advantage in interviews used to be that I "look the part" being tall, good looking and athletic.  Now I feel clumsy and unsure of myself which is just brutal.  I guess the best case scenario is a successful nerve graft which would allow my right leg to fully recover and hopefully a decent recovery on the left. 

[BIGEL]

Hey, bb1235,

Sorry to hear about your injuries and I do hope your surgery is successful!  Wishing you well!

                                                                                                                      Bigel

[cris]

Bb1235,
Good luck with the surgery, focus on the positive and hang in there. 

Cris

[ff89]

lots of good information in this thread has been helpful in figuring out what I've done to myself and what the next step is.
I dislocated my knee (posterolateral corner injury) - torn lcl, partially torn acl and maybe pcl, meniscus, torn popliteal artery, tibial plateau fracture and injured my peroneal nerve. I had emergency surgery (8hours after injury) to fix the artery and fasciotomys on both sides of my lower leg. Hospital for 2 weeks and then back home.

It has been 2.5 months after the injury I am scheduled for knee reconstructive surgery next week. I am finally mobile and moving around without crutches but in a g2 knee brace and afo (no brace or afo for walking around the house). I can do short walks and easy bike riding and I am not looking forward to surgery back to square 1 and laying around for another few months. I am confident about the knee reconstruction, they will be using allografts. But I am worried about the nerve injury.

The plan is to check the condition of my nerve during knee surgery. Currently I have no dorsiflexion or eversion but when I try to do these movements I feel a slight tightening in my ant tib and foot. I don't know if its just my mind hoping for the best as there is no movement just a sensation. I had horrible nerve pain until a few weeks ago, it is still there but less severe. I guess if my nerve is intact it will regenerate over time, does anyone know anything that might help speed up this process??

I have been looking at my options if the nerve is torn. I have not seen a nuerologist yet but my OS said nerve repairs are unsuccesful and a tendon transfer would be a last resort option. After researching and emailing neuro surgeons I discovered nerve transplants are also an option (Dr. Rahul Nath and Dr. Lee Dellon). They must be done in a timely manner though. I was wondering is there anyone who has had one of these done?
It was also suggested to do a peroneal nerve decompression at the time of knee surgery, I am meeting with my OS to discuss this tommorow.

Overall this has been a really unfortunate situation, it happened 1 day before I was returning to work as a forest fire fighter. The Drs. told me I may have to consider a new career but I love my job there is nothing else I would rather be doing. My goal is to be back at work by next fire season. I live for being active, out in the woods and working hard. I can't see myself doing an office job or adopting a sedintary lifestyle because of this injury and will do whatever I can to get back to 100%.

I wish everyone the best of luck, just have to stay positive and keep on doing what you love to do and everything will be alright  

[Hipmom]

I'm new to this group and need advice.  I had two hip labrum repair surgeries this year, the most recent which also included hamstring and sciatic nerve repair.  It's been six months since surgery, and I'm still swollen and in constant pain, and challenged with drop foot.  It's very difficult to walk more than 1/4 mile, and I'm now told I need release of the peroneal and tibial nerves.  I've been doing PT for 6 months.  The entire leg in back is numb through my ankle, my foot discolors and feels like staples coming through my toes.  My foot is always cold, too.
Im seeking doctor recommendations in metro NY?  I've heard mixed reviews about Dellon, but I am willing to travel.  Thanks in advance for your help and insight.

[BIGEL]

ff89,

If your feeling the tighening of your anterior tib. while attempting to lift your foot, then thats a great sign that your nerve is intact.  Also, if you press along nerve and feel that dreadful nerve burning pain shooting down to your foot, your nerve is intact.  I have read and been told that the wait and see approach should not exceed 9 mos. since injury.  During my recent visit to my O/S (on Monday), I was told that it can take up to 3 years for regeneration to be completed.  I was shock!  After that recovery has plateaued.  Thats only if the nerve is not compressed nor severely mangled or cut.  Hopefully, in your case its just compression.  My nerve was compressed really bad, and my O/S carefully cut off the scar tissue to release the strangulation of my nerve.  That's his words.  Two days after the decompression surgery, I was able to see a flicker of dorsiflexion.  Since my surgery on 09/11, I continue to improve.  I don't need an afo and I can now control the slapping noise when my foot strikes the ground.  Somewhat.  At this point, its all about building the tib.  Don't let anyone tell you your out because of your injury.  If you believe, you will succeed!  There is plenty of different types of afos in the market to help you continue being a firefighter.  Fix that knee and you will see.  Just believe! 

Hipmom,

Consider the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York City (NY County).  Dr. Allen was recommended to me by my Pt.  The drs there are suppose to be specialist with these types of injuries.   

[Hipmom]

Problem is I've been seeing a physio at HSS who says he doesn't have a referral for me for this injury, and told me to find one on my own.  So, I've packed my parachute...   Also, I'm hard pressed to find one doc who can actually tell me what's wrong...the whole picture, not just the foot drop. 
I've made appts with other drs on my own, but no two of them give me the same diagnosis or plan of action.  Some say do nothing, one wants to explore the nerve at the hip, another plans to release the nerves below the knee.  One says no exercise at all, and another recommends strengthening.         
Also, my entire ankle andtop of my foot is numb, along with the toes, which fluctuate between bright red and pale white/pink.  I really dont have any sensation in my ankle at all (except tingling and pins/needles), nor down the back of my leg.  No burning in my foot, just the thigh sometimes.  Behind my knee is especially numb.  Wearing the AFO seems to aggrivate my knee, and since I started with this two weeks ago, my knee seems worse.
I feel helpless.

[BIGEL]

Hipmom,

We all feel helpless at times, but when life gives you an unfair hand you must push through.  Checkout the Hospital of Special Surgery or Columbia Pres., both are in NYC.  Each of these hospitals have specialists in a wide range of medical fields.  Your injury sounds very complicated and you may want a doc who has experience and knowledge to diagnosis your situation.

[OwenG23]

Hi everyone, very glad that I have found this website and has really increased my confidence. I dislocated my knee playing rugby 3 months ago (on aprill fools day :L) stretching my Peroneal nerve by a centimetre also tearing the LCL and the posteolateral corner as well as avulsing the ACL. I underwent surgery 2 weeks after the injury during which my OS had a look at the nerve to see the extent of the damage, reconstucted the posteolateral corner and repaired the ACL. I came off the crutches about 3 weeks ago and came out of the brace about a week and a half ago. I have started a ACL recovery class which is concentrating mainly on strengthening the quads, glutes hamstrings and other muscles in the leg after I suffered atrophy in my leg from the knee being immobilised for about 8 weeks. I am still suffering from foot drop with no dorsiflection or eversion though I can invert my foot. Over the last few weeks when I touch the place in which the nerve was stretched I get tingles and weird sensation on the top of my foot. I have also been starting to get these feeling when I tap further and further up the back of my leg although somewhat dulled. Is this a sign of progression and should I remain confident in the recovery of the nerve as I would very much like to return to rugby as I am still quite young and have many years of sport left in me (hopefully)
thanks

Owen

[BIGEL]

Hi All,

Just an update on my recovery.  Well I pickup my new afo, and I'm simply hanging onto it for when I wear heavy weighted shoes.  I went the last few days at work without the use of an afo or an ankle brace!  It was a little weird walking around unaided.  I even wore shorts!  I still suffer from atrophy, but my muscles are building up. The slapping noise becomes annoying at times, but I can somewhat silent it.  Just a great feeling that after reaching the 20th month since my injury I see some recovery.   

Welcome OwenG23,

The tapping really proves that the nerve is intact.  If the nerve was not intact you would not feel the tingling and burning sensation.  Nerve regeneration should be occurring, unless its being compressed or badly damaged.   

                                                                                                                                              BIGEL