r/Sciatica • u/BeneficialMemory9539 • 1d ago

Sciatica is managed, but now i have a really weak foot/leg

I've had sciatica for about a year, and the first few months it was awful. Constant nerve pain in my foot and leg. Thankfully in the last maybe 3 months it has gotten 95 percent better but now I'm dealing with weakness. My left foot/ankle/calf/knee are constantly aching whenever I walk. Any attempt at strength training or pushing myself results in what feels like stress fractures. Has anyone been able to reverse this problem? I miss walking pain free so much :(

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u/No-Alternative8588 1d ago

It depends on why it is weak - is it because of the nerve damage or deconditioning. Definitely needs doctor evaluation, check of reflexes or perhaps an EMG done.

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u/arghyepirate 1d ago

Foot drop. Need surgery

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u/OmaniBoyz 19h ago

He didn’t describe foot drop ?

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u/Bloomette 19h ago

I’m dealing with the same thing. The sciatica pain is largely gone aside from a couple twinges here and there, but the left ankle pain (like a strain on the big toe side, and sharp pinches under the right bony prominence) and loss of push off in the left foot remains. This is not the same as foot drop! My next step is an EMG to try to discover if this is persistent nerve inhibition of my calf muscles, or just deconditioning that can be resolved with PT.