Wish I knew about this potential problem
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icemom011
Posts: 999 Member
Apparently after you lose a lot of weight you have a risk if damaging your nerves. They used to be protected by fat, and when it's gone, they are too close to skin, exposed for potential damage. I have a palsy now, which should be temporary, keeping my fingers crossed, but still. It's no fun at all, limping around, not being able to move rhe way you used to. Driving is an issue as well, since my foot doesn't work. Ughh. And it's all from crouching down for a little too long, pinching nerve and causing nerve damage. Apparently, it's a very common problem after weight loss. Even crossing your legs at the desk can cause palsy. And if one has some underlying issues, like diabetes, their prognosis is much worse. So the lesson is, move around, be careful not to create too much pressure for too long on same area. I wash i was aware of it ahead of time, not after it happened to me. My overall loss is about 64 lbs, from 220 to 156. This disability is quite unexpected for me. Should teke about 6 weeks to go away. Hope it does, can't even imagine living like that. Sorry for the rant, hope it helps someone avoid same situation.
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It's my understanding that any drastic weight change, up or down, can make a person susceptible to nerve issues.0
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I had no clue. Something doesnt sound right.
Your nerves were protected by fat and now are too close to the skin- therefore they can be damaged easier?...from weight loss?
Did your Dr tell you its because you lost weight?
You have info where you found this?0 -
What the *kitten*, I've never heard of that and it sounds dodgy as hell.5
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Uhhhh, in that case all thin people should have severe nerve damage?6
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I've never head that. I would suggest speaking to your doctor about those symptoms.0
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I have heard of this but it's usually associated with extreme weight loss, to do with an extreme loss of subcutaneous fat loss resulting in less cushioning than the nerves are used to increasing likelihood of nerve entrapment, often found in gastric bypass patients. Usually weight gain causes more issues than weight loss from nerve compression, rather than nerve entrapment. Anorexic or people with health issues causing severe weight loss are most likely to suffer. It be the sign of weight loss associated dietary deficiencies. ICEMOM, i'd go see a nutritionist about your diet to make sure you're getting all the vits and minerals you need while losing weight. Until then start taking some multi vit/mins see if it helps.5
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I have lost over 100lbs with no such effect, and I am a pretty common person! As someone else noted, if this were true, thin people would all have some sort of nerve damage.
It IS true that crossing your legs puts pressure on the nerves, muscles and tendons at the back of your knee, and MAY cause compression issues, but simply stopping this habit can reverse the effects unless serious damage is already done.
I suspect that your nerve issues are caused by some other factor.0 -
That's from my neurologist. I don't think i can post links from my phone. Try to google it,i guess. I was just as surprised. My condition called foot drop. Caused by couple of hours of gardening, crouching down and putting pressure on the nerve. I don't have anorexia, i eat really well, and i mean super healthy. I do take some supplements suggested by my doctor, that I'm a little low on, according to my blood work. I am a healthy person, this is just food for thought for those that care to listen. Dosome research, so not to end up in a similar situation.0
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That's from my neurologist. I don't think i can post links from my phone. Try to google it,i guess. I was just as surprised. My condition called foot drop. Caused by couple of hours of gardening, crouching down and putting pressure on the nerve. I don't have anorexia, i eat really well, and i mean super healthy. I do take some supplements suggested by my doctor, that I'm a little low on, according to my blood work. I am a healthy person, this is just food for thought for those that care to listen. Dosome research, so not to end up in a similar situation.
How would one avoid such neurological damage? Not lose weight?2 -
Foot drop is a gait abnormality in which the dropping of the forefoot happens due to weakness, irritation or damage to the common fibular nerve including the sciatic nerve, or paralysis of the muscles in the anterior portion of the lower leg. It is usually a symptom of a greater problem, not a disease in itself.
Causes
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Foot drop is caused by weakness or paralysis of the muscles involved in lifting the front part of the foot. The underlying causes of foot drop are varied and may include:
Nerve injury. The most common cause of foot drop is compression of a nerve in your leg that controls the muscles involved in lifting the foot. This nerve can also be injured during hip or knee replacement surgery, which may cause foot drop. A nerve root injury ("pinched nerve") in the spine can also cause foot drop. People who have diabetes are more susceptible to nerve disorders, which are associated with foot drop.
Muscle or nerve disorders. Various forms of muscular dystrophy, an inherited disease that causes progressive muscle weakness, may contribute to foot drop. Other disorders, such as polio or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, also can cause foot drop.
Brain and spinal cord disorders. Disorders that affect the spinal cord or brain — such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis or stroke — may cause foot drop.
Edit: I dont know what this has to do with nerve damage from weight loss. *shrug* Hope you heal up quickly!2 -
What about B12 deficiency? This can cause nerve problems. I have never heard of this and I would think with all of the people who have lost significant weight on here there would be someone else who shares this problem if it was that common.0
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I think it's called peroneal neuropathy. It's uncommon but is associated with fast extreme weight loss. @owieprone said it well.0
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I'm surprised you didn't notice the effects of nerve compression at the time like numbness or tingling. The human body is built to move. Any time you are in one position too long there are consequences. People of any weight that sit too long on airplanes or at a computer can have circulatory problems as well as nerve problems.
When people are under anesthesia and not able to move, OR nurses take great care to pad and protect nerves and boney points. Even then sometimes people will wake up and wonder why their arm hurts after having hip surgery.
Fat provides a protection of sorts to underlying structures. Without that protection you will have to be more aware of your body and the messages it sends you.3 -
I had foot drop after losing weight, it was caused by crossing my legs so much...something that I couldn't do comfortably before the weight loss. Mine was not serious, it went away in less than a week when I stopped crossing my legs all the time.2
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MommyMeggo wrote: »That's from my neurologist. I don't think i can post links from my phone. Try to google it,i guess. I was just as surprised. My condition called foot drop. Caused by couple of hours of gardening, crouching down and putting pressure on the nerve. I don't have anorexia, i eat really well, and i mean super healthy. I do take some supplements suggested by my doctor, that I'm a little low on, according to my blood work. I am a healthy person, this is just food for thought for those that care to listen. Dosome research, so not to end up in a similar situation.
How would one avoid such neurological damage? Not lose weight?
Oh, gosh, noi! Of course no. Just make sure to change positions, don't create pressure points for prolonged periods of time. Even when sleeping, apparently. If you prone to crossing legs, while it's ok, switch legs around, yncross every once in a while, things like that.0 -
I had foot drop after losing weight, it was caused by crossing my legs so much...something that I couldn't do comfortably before the weight loss. Mine was not serious, it went away in less than a week when I stopped crossing my legs all the time.
Awesome! Mine is 6 days already, just a bit better, but still no full control.0 -
Mavrick_RN wrote: »I'm surprised you didn't notice the effects of nerve compression at the time like numbness or tingling. The human body is built to move. Any time you are in one position too long there are consequences. People of any weight that sit too long on airplanes or at a computer can have circulatory problems as well as nerve problems.
When people are under anesthesia and not able to move, OR nurses take great care to pad and protect nerves and boney points. Even then sometimes people will wake up and wonder why their arm hurts after having hip surgery.
Fat provides a protection of sorts to underlying structures. Without that protection you will have to be more aware of your body and the messages it sends you.
Yes, me too. Very surprised. Didn't feel the numbness, changed position just a bit here and there, but always came back into same position with leg tucked under and sitting on it. I was too much into my task, i guess. There was definitely no tingling. And i tought that i will just walk it off after a few minutes after i realized i was walking funny and my leg didn't listen and didn't want to work correctly. After some time of nothing changing, i knew i had nerve damage. Doc said it's reversible though, hope he's right. I read that it's not always the case.
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I think it's called peroneal neuropathy. It's uncommon but is associated with fast extreme weight loss. @owieprone said it well.
Yes, that's exactly what it is. My neurologist said it's very common, and be careful and be aware.0
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