Epidural Foot Numbness Question

21 Replies
MLS2012 - July 13

Allshastev: It seems as though we have the same situation. It's been 5 weeks since my daughter's birth and I have not regained feeling in my lower leg and foot. Have you recovered? If so, can you give me details of your recovery, such as signs and symptoms you experienced while recovering? Thanks.

 

Adamandy - March 26

I had my first baby in 1992 with an epidural and no issues. My second baby was in 1999 with an epidural and was laying on my back in the same position for 21 hours. After I had the baby and my epidural wore off I had severe pain in my heels and told the nurse about it and she looked at my heels and told me nothing was wrong. Well 15 years later it is still just as painful when I lay down and rest my heels in the same position they were in for 21 hours in labor. I can't sleep through the night without having to hang my heels off the side of the bed or put a pillow under my ankle so they are not resting on the bed. I have gone to several doctors and foot doctors and no one can tell me what is wrong. One doctor did say he thought it was probably that the epidural had settled in my feet but still couldn't tell me why it caused this pain or how to fix it I have come to the conclusion that this will be the rest of my life. I would not recommend an epidural after the pain I have had to live with or make sure you don't lay or sit in the exact same position for too many hours after having the epidural. I know for a fact this happened because of having the epidural because I never had this pain before but the doctors make you feel like you are crazy sometimes and that pain is all in my head. I wish I had an answer for why this happened or a way to make the pain to away.

 

Adamandy - March 26

I had my first baby in 1992 with an epidural and no issues. My second baby was in 1999 with an epidural and was laying on my back in the same position for 21 hours. After I had the baby and my epidural wore off I had severe pain in my heels and told the nurse about it and she looked at my heels and told me nothing was wrong. Well 15 years later it is still just as painful when I lay down and rest my heels in the same position they were in for 21 hours in labor. I can't sleep through the night without having to hang my heels off the side of the bed or put a pillow under my ankle so they are not resting on the bed. I have gone to several doctors and foot doctors and no one can tell me what is wrong. One doctor did say he thought it was probably that the epidural had settled in my feet but still couldn't tell me why it caused this pain or how to fix it I have come to the conclusion that this will be the rest of my life. I would not recommend an epidural after the pain I have had to live with or make sure you don't lay or sit in the exact same position for too many hours after having the epidural. I know for a fact this happened because of having the epidural because I never had this pain before but the doctors make you feel like you are crazy sometimes and that pain is all in my head. I wish I had an answer for why this happened or a way to make the pain to away.

 

Adamandy - March 26

I had my first baby in 1992 with an epidural and no issues. My second baby was in 1999 with an epidural and was laying on my back in the same position for 21 hours. After I had the baby and my epidural wore off I had severe pain in my heels and told the nurse about it and she looked at my heels and told me nothing was wrong. Well 15 years later it is still just as painful when I lay down and rest my heels in the same position they were in for 21 hours in labor. I can't sleep through the night without having to hang my heels off the side of the bed or put a pillow under my ankle so they are not resting on the bed. I have gone to several doctors and foot doctors and no one can tell me what is wrong. One doctor did say he thought it was probably that the epidural had settled in my feet but still couldn't tell me why it caused this pain or how to fix it I have come to the conclusion that this will be the rest of my life. I would not recommend an epidural after the pain I have had to live with or make sure you don't lay or sit in the exact same position for too many hours after having the epidural. I know for a fact this happened because of having the epidural because I never had this pain before but the doctors make you feel like you are crazy sometimes and that pain is all in my head. I wish I had an answer for why this happened or a way to make the pain to away.

 

Jwm726 - August 22

I suffered nerve damage after giving birth to my daughter on July 29, 2016. I am not fully healed even though it's been over a year now. I'm self diagnosed with bilateral peroneal and bilateral tibial nerve damage which means I lost the ability to plantarflex and dorsiflex. It's not caused by the epidural, but no doctor will tell me what caused my injury. After I gave birth and the epidural wore off, my feet, ankles, and calf muscles were completely dead. I had to use a walker to get around for the first 10 months postpartum. I 100% believe this was caused from pushing for so long in an incorrect lithotomy position. The doctors like to act like my injury isn't that serious and my OBGYN kind of laughed it off. I have had to educate myself on the subject and by doing so I stumbled across a Facebook group called "Moms With Femoral/Peroneal Nerve Damage from Childbirth." This group is open to all types of nerve damage and it is a huge resource full of women who are newly injured, almost healed, and completely healed. I spent 6 months postpartum thinking this only happened to me, but that's not true. Please look for this group if you are still injured! I'm trying to find ways to spread the word about nerve damage from labor and delivery! 

Good luck ladies! We are all in this together!

 

Jmackenzie10 - November 18

Hi, I’m not sure how long ago this was posted, but would love to know about your recovery. I am nearly 9 weeks postpartum and had a similar experience — an epidural and very long labor and foot drop resulting from peroneal/femoral nerve damage. I’ve seen a neurologist and am doing PT weekly, and although I’ve seen quite a bit of improvement in the ability to dorsiflex, I’m still having quite a bit of numbness in my foot and below the knee. I’d love to hear more about your experience and recovery.

 

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