Originally Posted by Littlepaw

Hello Brandon,

Sorry for what you are going through. It is no fun needing to be here but welcome nonetheless. I too am a CRPS after foot/ankle surgeries kinda gal. I would very much like to give you a properly welcoming post with my usual tips on where to go for info and my schpiel about making sure it's not nerve entrapment. That said it is late and I am a tired pup so I am going post the link to my favorite info video tomorrow.

For the meantime, know that 80% of people get better over time. Not everyone has all the symptoms and symptoms change. Take at look at the Budapest criteria for CRPS if you question your diagnosis. I never had crazy swelling myself. It IS normal to have swelling after foot surgeries, sometimes for months and that is uncomfortable for anyone CRPS or not. Epsom salt soaks are good for feet and light compression can help after foot surgery if you can tolerate it.

Know that you are not alone in this, there is good support here. Can you give a little more info on your procedures? when, what , hardware, etc?

Hang in there. Things DO get better.
Sending Healing Love,
Littlepaw

Originally Posted by Littlepaw

Nerve entrapment is a compressive neuropathy cause by constriction, scar tissue, or mechanical cause. It can even be vascular in nature. When nerves don't have adequate room they don't function properly with the result being pain, numbness, tingling and sometimes temp and color change in the limb. Nerve Entrapment and also injury is an imitator of CRPS. Injuries to nerves are not unusual during surgical procedures, hardware can cause problems too. Somtimes the damage/compression can be helped by injections to reduce scar tissue or surgery to make a repair or remove a painful neuroma. I posted links to resources under NErve Injury Resources just a couple days down in the threads. PM&R doctors with the right training can sometimes find a problem with a nerve on ultrasound by looking for swelling or scar tissue on it. A doctor who does hydrodissections will have the skills to look for this kind of problem. Might be worth a try....

Originally Posted by Taywesty

i do have an internal brace in my ankle now, it is not metal though. but i had an X-ray after to make sure it was placed correctly. but i assume that would not show the nerves?

Originally Posted by Littlepaw

Placed "correctly" can impinge a nerve and it will never show on imaging. I had a neuroma that didn't even show on MRI. Took plastic surgery peripheral nerve specialist to find it with Scratch Collapse Test. I got the sucker taken out. I still have pain there, some of the damage couldn't be repaired optimally but it is MUCH better than it was. I can tolerate sheets now and it doesn't wake me up at night. Socks are still a struggle but they put direct pressure where the neuroma was. But since I live in Austin we only wear socks two months a year anyways.

Originally Posted by Taywesty

agh couldn't even imagine if all this could be fixed by removing the thing that was put in to help my ankle. the problem is they say i am in too much pain to even have surgery. and i have brought it up before and they say its not likely and just asked to get another X-ray

Originally Posted by brandon_willis

Had my sympathetic nerve block done this am. I can say the pain hasn't gotten any better today if anything my foot hurts worse, and I am having strange spasms and pain in the outaide of my upper thigh.
Anyone else? Any ideas, will it be better tomorrow... At this point not sure if I should have had it..