Hi everyone. New to the forums.

I've been struggling with chronic forefoot pain since the beginning of the year. In April, I had a positive tinel sign in both the left and right ankles. My podiatrist suspected tarsal tunnel so I had a nerve conduction test done and while not conclusive, the neurologist wrote in his report that there could well be an underlying component of tarsal tunnel.

We tried a number of things including acupuncture and physical therapy but it wasn't improving. It was suggested that I have an mri done of my spine. The mri showed that the disc is herniated at the right L5 nerve root. The orthopedist I saw to get the mri done suggested an epidural. I'm now 10 days past the injection and some of my symptoms have improved and some haven't. Specifically:

Rectal pain - gone the next day after the injection.
Vibrating sensation in my groin - 99% gone.
Numb feeling in my right foot as if asleep - 50% improvement.
Pain in the arch of my feet - 30 to 50% improvement.
Pain in the ball of my feet - little improvement although I'm walking slightly farther.
Pressure and "twitching" sensation on the inside area of both ankles - unchanged.

So this leads to several questions:

Is there anyone on these boards that had tarsal tunnel symptoms that was caused by a herniated disc?
What was done to treat it?
What are the odds that I would have bilateral tarsal tunnel and a herniated disc and they're not related?

Also, I had a complete blood count done and everything looked great, including B12 levels and my thyroid.
I'm at very low risk of exposure to toxins.
(My house is 25 years old, the building I work in is 20 years old. I don't golf.)

There are a lot of helpful and dedicated people on these boards.
I'd like to thank everyone in advance for their response.
Good health to all.

Welcome scooter.

Someone will be along to help.

Hi scooter,

Welcome to the NeuroTalk Support Groups.

Regarding your herniated disc and tarsal tunnel problems, you could also try posting over on the

Spinal Disorders & Back Pain Forum

Hi Laura

Thanks for the suggestion.
I'll post this on that forum as well.

Oops, sorry for the wrong spelling, Lara.

No problem.
In some accents it's pronounced Laura anyway.