My legs went out from under me!
 

About the same time that my toes began to go numb, my legs would
from time to time go out from under me and I would fall down. I felt
no pain at the time but I can recall that I was under extra stress when these
incidents occurred. Can anyone tell me if this might be related to my
peripheral neuropathy - and why?

I woke up one afternoon with my right leg completely numb. When I stood up and tried to walk on it, it buckled out from under me. Luckily, I was standing beside the bed and fell onto it when I lost my balance. I called my GP who said it was neurological and he sent me to a neurologist. He indicated it was because of PN, but no one has yet to explain the why of it. I'm seeing a new neurologist in a couple of weeks and thats one of many questions I have for him.

I'm also interested if anyone knows why this happens.

Kitt, thanks for the link. I'll ask at my appointment about this.

I have heard and know my friend with PN has fallen more. Have you been tested for diabetes? I ask cause of the numbness though some without diabetes get the numb problem. Are you off balance? I am and my fear is to fall. Sorry I wish I had more answers.

Daniella, I've been checked for diabetes and thankfully, I don't have it. My GP checks my bloodwork every 3 months to keep an eye on it and all the other stuff. My original diagnosis is for sensory polyneuropathy so I don't think any of the motor ones are a factor. I saw my GP and he said that the nerve gets weak which causes the muscles to weaken and that explains why I also get pains in my opposite leg while exercising and they stop me in my tracks. I have to wait until it subsides to continue.

So, I know the PN is to blame for the pain, numbness and the weakness. Its strange how the nerves behave like this, but it makes sense to me in a strange way. Thanks for posting :hug:

I had a similar sensation today. It was like my knees were going to give out completely. I felt like my legs were going to go out from under me.

My Legs
 

I saw this thread posting, and decided to add to it as much as I am sure of.

Last week, I got up to go to the bathroom during the night. Just as I finished, my legs suddenly went out from under me, and I took one hell of a fall. Thank God, I didn't hit anything but the floor, although ceramic floors ain't all that soft. Sheesh!!! It woke my wife up, and she naturally came running. There isn't enough space in this small bath for two people to pass each other, and she isn't strong enough to pull me. So, I had to inch my way along out of the bathroom until I could turn over, and then proceed to pull my self over to the bed. What surprised me was that my arms were almost as weak as my legs. It took everything I had to pull myself out of the bathroom. Admittedly, I weigh 228, but that much weight has never stopped me from doing pull ups, and many other exercises. So, my point is, whatever made the legs let go, did almost as much damage to the arms as well. After about 15 minutes, I was able to use my arms, assisted partially by my legs, and pull myself back onto the bed. In about half an hour, everything was pretty much back to normal.

I do however, have the main arteries in both my legs stopped up from the hip, to the knee, so that didn't help. But, the scary part is that I didn't even feel it coming on. And, I never got dizzy, or anything.

As they say, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Anybody have any idea as to the sudden weakness that comes from NP?:eek:

That's what I asked a so-called PN expert I saw after I recovered from a broken ankle caused by my left leg giving way. Eight years ago, I was walking to the kitchen after waking up from a nap and out of nowhere my leg folded. I heard a sickening crunch and knew I had a fracture. That break has caused me more grief than PN...the leg/ankle have never been as strong as before. I went from using a cane to using a walker and still do to this day.

The PN expert had no answer whatsoever, couldn't even speculate and offered no causes or theories. Until this thread, I never knew this folding leg/s syndrome affected anyone else w/ PN. It seems to be connected w/ sleep (waking up & going somewhere). Possibly the muscle loses its resilience, strength, etc. during rest. Although my left leg still gives out from time to time, it's not as frequent as it was 9 or 10 years ago. The only way I know to avoid another fall/fracture, is to use the walker or cane even in the house.

Wow, when it happened to me there was no warning at all. It just buckled and thankfully I was near the bed so the fall was broken. I was just waking from a nap on that one. The pain and weakness associated with the other leg happens while I'm awake and actively exercising, so that one doesn't seem to be connected to sleep. I think my GP and one other orthopedic doctor I see are both well versed in this stuff since they both attribute these events to PN. This used to happen to my Dad all the time and it makes me wonder if he had PN and mine is hereditary. This has been an enlightening thread.

Hhhm, interesting. I too have had buckling legs - haven't fallen yet but came pretty close a couple of times. It seems to happen at the same time that I have a feeling of weightlessness in my arms - and have a tendency to hit things with my arms or hands as I have no sense of how much they weigh or where they are. This comes and goes - not much fun. Sorry, this is not much help. Good luck.

My left leg is starting to buckle under me, but it is a permanent thing not an occaisional thing. I think it is related to my damage to the nerve in my back that goes to my iliopsoas muscle in my back/hip. I can't pick that leg up off the floor, and I know that the next step in this is going to be my knee buckling as it is semi happening already. So I guess I will have to get a longer brace for that leg when that happens - one that comes above my knee (my current one finishes below my knee).

But, as I mentioned, with me this is a permant thing as I have sensorimotor axonal neuropathy, not an occaisional thing.

cheers
raglet

I have never had a leg go out on me this way.

I have had pain up the wazoo, and numbness, and tripping over things, but never a motor failure. (and this is 30 yrs worth of PN)

Whenever people experience MOTOR failure, I think this is serious and should be evaluated by a doctor. When neuropathies move from sensory to motor, you need to find a way to block that or you lose functions. A rapidly progressing neuropathy like GBS is treated with IVIG...and I suspect many ones with motor components are autoimmune like GBS.

Also looking at hereditary causes is important.

Falls can wreck you, and you need to be prepared for them if you have something going wrong with muscles.

they sure can. i have fallen several times now i try to be very careful and sit when i think it could happen.

i have PN in my arms and hands too. drop things all the time and was having a lot of radiating nerve pain at night but now i take amatriptyline for that and it has helped me so much.