Foot Nerve Damage After Surgery

The symptoms of foot nerve damage after surgery include burning, numbness, tingling, atrophy, or muscle weakness. One of the most common issues reported by foot specialist doctors after surgery is scarring around the nerves. In many cases, the patient will have temporary symptoms. However, many patients also report having foot nerve damage after surgery problems for months beyond the actual surgery. In this event, a patient can be diagnosed with permanent nerve damage, which could require additional medical treatment.

Foot nerve damage does not only happen to those patients who have undergone surgery, but it can develop as a result of other medical conditions. However, if you recently had surgery and the symptoms of your foot nerve damage have only recently developed, there is a reasonable connection between undergoing that surgery and your foot nerve damage. Given that foot nerve damage can continue to impact you for years to come, you need to take this medical condition seriously and work directly with your primary care doctor or other specialists to determine a treatment plan that could help you minimize the impact. 

Unfortunately, some people will live with foot nerve damage after surgery for many years following their procedure. If this is tied to medical malpractice, a patient's only recourse may be to file a lawsuit with help of an experienced lawyer. 

If you constrict one area of the nerves in your body, scar tissue forms around the nerve and constricts this nerve, reducing the transport of crucial chemicals that your body needs to stay healthy. This is one way in which foot nerve damage after surgery occurs. 

There are also other ways that foot nerve damage surgery can happen. A nerve can be damaged when some or all of its fibers have been killed. When this damage occurs, there can be problems with nerve function. 

Nerve damage is generally classified into three different categories. The first is neuropraxia which is damage to the covering of the myelin sheath or the wire; axonotmesis refers to damage to the neurons or the wire itself, and neurotmesis refers to the nerve being cut in half or torn. Approximately 0.5% to up to 2% of patients will experience permanent nerve damage after surgery. Temporary nerve injuries are much more common than permanent nerve damage, especially with spinal surgeries. However, foot nerve damage after surgery can also occur. Other types of nerve injuries can include those following a hip replacement, low back fusion surgery, and shoulder replacement surgery.

There are several different tests that can be carried out by a medical professional to determine if you have foot nerve damage after surgery. 

The first of these is known as a nerve conduction study or an EMG study. This electrical test identifies the nerve's function. This test is extremely specific but has very low sensitivity, meaning that it will only pick up a patient's nerve damage that is more severe. 

The second option for identifying nerve damage after surgery is ultrasound imaging of the nerve. This determines whether or not the nerve shows constriction or swelling and is less invasive than a nerve conduction study. 

The final option for determining nerve damage after surgery is MR neurography. This is a very specialized type of MRI scan that is tuned to identify the patient's nerves. Although many incidences of nerve damage after surgery resolve in no longer than a few months, the level of nerve regrowth is very low for those patients who experience longer symptoms. This means that if a nerve is able to regrow at all, it could take years for a back injury to rebuild the entire nerve from your foot or feet. This is especially important for those patients experiencing foot nerve damage after surgery.

You should always consult with your medical professional about the most appropriate treatment plan for your next steps. The specifics of the surgery that you underwent and the symptoms you're currently experiencing will all be used to determine whether or not a treatment plan is an appropriate course of action. Ortho biologics, medications, and physical therapy are some of the most popular treatment options for nerve damage and pain after surgery. Your doctor can tell you more about these circumstances and help you determine whether these may be beneficial for your help.

You may be nervous about visiting the original doctor who performed the surgery that led to your foot nerve damage. Remember that you have the right to request to see specialists or to get a second opinion. Many people have plenty of questions after developing foot nerve damage following surgery. Make sure that you consult with your physician about all of these symptoms so that you have a clear idea of what to do next. In addition, You may wish to share your medical records with your medical malpractice attorney if this person will be helping you to file a lawsuit.

The possibility of a nerve injury following a surgery is problematic for the surgeon and for the patient. For example, in ankle surgery, the nerves at risk include the superficial peroneal nerve, and symptoms of foot nerve damage after surgery include numbness and pain over the back of the foot. Foot pain, however, can manifest from other types of surgery. For example, a hip replacement surgery puts the sciatic nerve at risk, leading to symptoms such as foot drop and numbness over the back of the foot. Likewise, knee surgery impacts the common peroneal nerve leading to numbness over the back of the foot and foot drop. A nerve may be in danger with complete loss of movement, burning, unrelenting pain, or swelling in the limb. It is often recommended that a specialist be consulted as soon as possible after these symptoms begin to manifest. It can be crucial for the patient to get medical attention as soon as possible to protect their interests and ensure that they have considered all relevant issues.

If you have developed foot nerve damage after surgery and suspect that it may be directly related to the procedure itself, you need to get a second opinion from another physician. In order to determine whether or not you have grounds to pursue a medical malpractice case, it is strongly recommended that you get an initial consultation with a team of experienced medical malpractice attorneys. Medical malpractice attorneys often refer out the medical records for those situations in which they believe there could be a potential legal case. An independent medical examination or a review from a separate physician can help to clarify whether or not the doctor or other medical staff involved breached their duty of care to you. If it is determined that the doctor deviated from the standard of care that would have been provided by somebody else and made a mistake that led to foot nerve damage, you may need compensation from a settlement or a lawsuit to help you pay for your ongoing treatment.

If you believe that your foot nerve damage after surgery is a direct result of serious and painful medical malpractice, now is the time to consult with dedicated lawyers, such as those working at Morgan & Morgan. The team at Morgan & Morgan has extensive experience in helping those patients who have been seriously injured as a result of medical malpractice. Do not hesitate to reach out to consult with our team of attorneys as we are prepared to fully investigate your claim and help you to determine your next steps. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to get started.