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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Pain And Tingling Sensation In The Leg After A Surgery?

Ive had surgery on a fractured femur just 3 weeks ago (knee end of femur bone shattered into 12 pieces..plate and screws inserted) since surgery i have had burning tingling pain in right leg only of a night very uncomfortable and preventing me from sleep....daytime is fine.....what is going on here do you think and how long should i expect this to last?l
Wed, 28 Nov 2018
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Neurologist,  's  Response
Hi,

According to your explanation, you had a nerve injury during a surgery (as you mentioned that this only began after the surgery). It is a complication of the procedure. You have not mentioned which area of the leg has tingling and burning sensation. This is important because each side of the leg has a separate sensory nerve.

It is also important to check if you have developed any weakness in your ankle movements. To check this simply walk on your heel and then on the sole of the foot to see if it is hard at one leg compared to the other leg. If you have no weakness, the problem is only at the sensory branches.

The first thing you should do is to refer to a neurologist or a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist to perform an EMG & NCV test of your lower limbs. It reveals if there is significant nerve damage and the nature of the damage.

In most cases, if the damage is in the sensory nerves only, you should wait (sometimes for several months), but if the damage is significant and at motor nerves, a revision surgery to find possible nerve entrapment at fracture site might be required.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Wish you the best health status very soon.

Regards,
Dr. Hooman Mahmoudi, Neurologist
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What Causes Pain And Tingling Sensation In The Leg After A Surgery?

Hi, According to your explanation, you had a nerve injury during a surgery (as you mentioned that this only began after the surgery). It is a complication of the procedure. You have not mentioned which area of the leg has tingling and burning sensation. This is important because each side of the leg has a separate sensory nerve. It is also important to check if you have developed any weakness in your ankle movements. To check this simply walk on your heel and then on the sole of the foot to see if it is hard at one leg compared to the other leg. If you have no weakness, the problem is only at the sensory branches. The first thing you should do is to refer to a neurologist or a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist to perform an EMG & NCV test of your lower limbs. It reveals if there is significant nerve damage and the nature of the damage. In most cases, if the damage is in the sensory nerves only, you should wait (sometimes for several months), but if the damage is significant and at motor nerves, a revision surgery to find possible nerve entrapment at fracture site might be required. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Wish you the best health status very soon. Regards, Dr. Hooman Mahmoudi, Neurologist