Hello,
I have been diagnosed with bilateral nerve entrapment of the medial calcaneal nerve and/or possible first branch of lateral plantar (baxter) nerve. I'm 24, previously athletic, non diabetic, normal weight/bmi. My doctors said this was probably caused by a mixture of trauma/overuse/posture/bad luck.
I've seen 2 orthopedists, 1 podiatrist, and currently I'm being treated by an anesthesiologist who is a pain management specialist. I have an HMO and so finding specialists can be tricky. My orthopedist said I would need surgery - but she did not do that surgery. The podiatrist said different things upon each visit... I bought presc. orthodics from him. He said I had achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis and needed to stretch (I had already been in physical therapy for this for half a year prior to seeing these specialists). He gave me blind cortisone shots which did not make any difference. My podiatrist then referred me to a pain management specialist (anesthesiologist) in case this was originating from my spine. After an MRI ruled that out, she got a hold of my previous orthopedist and recieved her diagnosis.
My pain doc (as I call her) seems like a great doctor. We did an ultrasound to look for swelling, bone spurs, anything obvious. She said I had no signs of plantar fasciitis or swelling. She said that surgery to decompress the nerves results in a lot of scar tissue and isn't a sure deal, so she offered to do something called neural hydro-dissection.
Basically, she injects a saline solution into my heels - guided by ultrasound - around the nerves in order to "push" tissue off of the nerve. ? So far I've had this done twice in each foot. First procedure was with local nerve block (yet still painful as hell). Second procedure was iv sedation. Third procedure is soon and will be general anesthesia (on account of moving too much under iv sedation).
The procedures have some success. It seems to feel good for a week or so then goes back to normal. Since the 2nd time (a month ago) I would say my L foot is still at 30% less pain, which is better than nothing, but still can be very painful. She said we still have some options if this hydro-dissection stuff doesn't work out before she refers me for an invasive surgery. The doctors seem hesitant to do surgery, in part because the entrapment is bilateral and in part because it's not a common surgery.
tl;dr
So. My question is: Does anyone have any experience with LPN or MCN entrapment or Tarsal tunnel syndrome (which is similar/related).
Does anyone have any experience with hydro dissection? (unsure if it is called something else). Did it help you?
Has anyone had a nerve decompression for LPN, MCN, or...any foot nerves? Was it successful or not?
I guess I'm just feeling like nobody really knows what is going on with these nerves. I can't find a ton of info on them on the web - but I've read what I've been able to find. I don't know anyone who has had similar problems and I feel a bit unsure. I've done everything my doctors have requested or advised for the past couple years and things aren't getting much better. I still trust them and will listen to them, and I appreciate my current doctor's attempts to avoid surgery. But, it would be nice to know that this got fixed for someone else. The pain can be intense and unbearable at times, and I quit my job a few months ago due to the pain.
Can anyone relate?
I have been diagnosed with bilateral nerve entrapment of the medial calcaneal nerve and/or possible first branch of lateral plantar (baxter) nerve. I'm 24, previously athletic, non diabetic, normal weight/bmi. My doctors said this was probably caused by a mixture of trauma/overuse/posture/bad luck.
I've seen 2 orthopedists, 1 podiatrist, and currently I'm being treated by an anesthesiologist who is a pain management specialist. I have an HMO and so finding specialists can be tricky. My orthopedist said I would need surgery - but she did not do that surgery. The podiatrist said different things upon each visit... I bought presc. orthodics from him. He said I had achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis and needed to stretch (I had already been in physical therapy for this for half a year prior to seeing these specialists). He gave me blind cortisone shots which did not make any difference. My podiatrist then referred me to a pain management specialist (anesthesiologist) in case this was originating from my spine. After an MRI ruled that out, she got a hold of my previous orthopedist and recieved her diagnosis.
My pain doc (as I call her) seems like a great doctor. We did an ultrasound to look for swelling, bone spurs, anything obvious. She said I had no signs of plantar fasciitis or swelling. She said that surgery to decompress the nerves results in a lot of scar tissue and isn't a sure deal, so she offered to do something called neural hydro-dissection.
Basically, she injects a saline solution into my heels - guided by ultrasound - around the nerves in order to "push" tissue off of the nerve. ? So far I've had this done twice in each foot. First procedure was with local nerve block (yet still painful as hell). Second procedure was iv sedation. Third procedure is soon and will be general anesthesia (on account of moving too much under iv sedation).
The procedures have some success. It seems to feel good for a week or so then goes back to normal. Since the 2nd time (a month ago) I would say my L foot is still at 30% less pain, which is better than nothing, but still can be very painful. She said we still have some options if this hydro-dissection stuff doesn't work out before she refers me for an invasive surgery. The doctors seem hesitant to do surgery, in part because the entrapment is bilateral and in part because it's not a common surgery.
tl;dr
So. My question is: Does anyone have any experience with LPN or MCN entrapment or Tarsal tunnel syndrome (which is similar/related).
Does anyone have any experience with hydro dissection? (unsure if it is called something else). Did it help you?
Has anyone had a nerve decompression for LPN, MCN, or...any foot nerves? Was it successful or not?
I guess I'm just feeling like nobody really knows what is going on with these nerves. I can't find a ton of info on them on the web - but I've read what I've been able to find. I don't know anyone who has had similar problems and I feel a bit unsure. I've done everything my doctors have requested or advised for the past couple years and things aren't getting much better. I still trust them and will listen to them, and I appreciate my current doctor's attempts to avoid surgery. But, it would be nice to know that this got fixed for someone else. The pain can be intense and unbearable at times, and I quit my job a few months ago due to the pain.
Can anyone relate?
Nerve Entrapment (Heel pain)
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