The Bonati Spine Institute received this message through our Facebook page:
“With surgery, will the weakness in my calf go away? I’m wondering if strength in that muscle will return.”
To answer this question, we first needed to know more about the condition of the gentleman asking the question. He told us a recent MRI showed compression on his L5/S1. Impingement in the lower lumbar spine (L5) and sacral vertebrae (S1) can certainly cause symptoms of sciatica – pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in the lower leg and foot.
When the sciatic nerve is compressed, patients may experience leg weakness or heaviness that interferes with movement. People have described a feeling of having to drag their lower leg and foot or being unable to move their leg as quickly and easily as needed while walking or climbing stairs, for example, because of perceived weakness or slow reaction. Some report “foot drop,” which refers to a weakening of the muscles that allow one to flex the ankle and toes, causing the person to drag the front of the foot while waking and to compensate for this by bending the knee to lift the foot higher than usual.
So, to answer the gentleman’s question, for his case, yes, a decompression surgery utilizing The Bonati Spine Procedures will release the pressure of the nerve, returning the power to the calf muscles, or other muscles affected by an impingement or compression.