In the spine, herniated discs can be compared to jelly donuts. There is a gel in the middle of the disc surrounded by annular ligaments. This gel can push out the annular fibers causing direct pressure on the nerves. This will cause pain along the course of the spinal nerves. If the agravated nerve travels down the buttock to the thigh and leg, the symptoms will be in those areas.
When the nerves are agravated, symptoms can range from pain alone to pain, tingling, numbness and weakness in the leg. This is referred to as sciatica, simply meaning pain along the course of the sciatic nerve. This can be a very debilitating condition. If the weakness gets severe enough, it can result in what is known as “foot drop”. The person will have difficulty lifting his toes and foot upward, so the foot drags on the floor as he walks. If the condition worsens, he may require a foot drop brace or, maybe, eventually a wheel chair. Sometimes surgery may be effective with foot drop, depending on the severity of nerve damage. This is determined with multiple tests called electromyography (EMG) and nerve conduction studies.
Tags: foot drop brace
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