Temporary leg numbness/partial paralysis of leg after pelvic floor injections

[CatsandCars]

I am fine, but I wanted to share my recent experience with you all. I have been getting pelvic floor injections of numbing medication from a urogynecologist for pelvic pain. She said she was going to inject the nerve that "would give me more relief". Afterwards, as I was walking to the car, I thought my right leg felt a little funny. But I had experienced some numbness after the injections before, so I wasn't very concerned. When I got home, I tried to get out of the passenger side of the car, but I couldn't. My right leg would not support me!My husband had to help support me to get into the house and into a chair. I called my doctor and asked it was normal, and I was told that it can happen, that the doctor had to go a little deeper this time, and that it should pass. They advised me that a doctor was on call at all times, and to call if I had questions.

My poor husband had to help me every time I needed to get to the bathroom, the bedroom, etc. It resolved completely about 24 hours after I got the injection.

I'm writing this so that if it happens to you, you'll know that it can be temporary. I'm not a doctor, so obviously call/page your doctor or go to the ER if it happens to you, but the anesthetic did wear off.

Also, I'm so glad my husband drove me. I did not have the full range of motion in my ankle and my foot was really numb, so it would have been bad if I had been driving.

[Midori83]

Hi, I am glad you are OK now. Can I ask which nerve it was injected? I am waiting fro my injection in the genitofemoral, iliohypogastric and ilioinguinal nerves and I am a bit worried...

[CatsandCars in reply to Midori83]

I'm sorry, I didn't ask which nerve it was. I can ask next time. But the injections weren't terrible. It didn't hurt for long, and since it was an anesthetic, the side effects wore off in 24 hours.

[Midori83 in reply to CatsandCars]

Thank you. Best of luck with your treatment!

[CatsandCars in reply to Midori83]

You, too!

[CatsandCars in reply to Midori83]

I checked. It was the pudendal nerve. 😊

[Midori83 in reply to CatsandCars]

I thought so! Thank you for letting e know. Does that help with the pain and muscle tension?

[CatsandCars in reply to Midori83]

It was a local anesthetic and it helped, but then it wore off as near as I can tell. But then the doctor might say it feels better, so I am trying to keep an open mind.

[Midori83 in reply to CatsandCars]

I understand. My pain management doctor said that if rhe injection works and confirm the diagnosis, they will then give me more permanent or at least long term solution. I think he meant radiofrequency ablation of the nerve. I am a bit worried. 🥺

[BlueLagoon007]

Hi,I have had a few nerve blocks and that happens every time. I have also had partial numbness of my bladder but it all passes in due course. The first time I had it, it lasted for 36 hours in my leg and I couldn't put any weight on it at all. They had to use a wheelchair to get me to the car from the hospital. You aren't allowed to drive anyway.

Don't worry too much and as your doctor says, it does happen sometimes.

Hope it is successful for you and you get long lasting relief.

Take care,

[CatsandCars in reply to BlueLagoon007]

I'm fine, but it's interesting to know it happened to you, too. Thanks for responding!

[Midori83 in reply to BlueLagoon007]

Hi. What happened with your bladder? Weren't you able to pass urine?

[CatsandCars in reply to Midori83]

Actually, I couldn't at first. But that part didn't last very long, thankfully.

[BlueLagoon007 in reply to Midori83]

Hi,Yes I was able to pass urine but I couldn't feel the sensation of doing so, it was very weird. Fortunately it only lasted overnight. I did have a little trouble voiding at first but after relaxing it all came good.

[Midori83 in reply to BlueLagoon007]

Hi. That worries me because I already have voiding issues due to muscle atrophy. I got nerve injury during pelvic surgery...

[Boingi200]

me too was scared. Have of the injections improved pain ?

[CatsandCars in reply to Boingi200]

It did at first, then it started hurting again when it wore off. I don't know if that means the injections were useless? If nothing else it may have confirmed where the problem is. I will have to see what the doctor says when I go back.

[BlueLagoon007 in reply to CatsandCars]

It probably does confirm the diagnosis. Is it pudendal neuralgia that you have? I have have had 3 nerve blocks over time and most recently botox injections into puborectalis and coccygeus muscles. The botox has definitely helped but I still have rectal pain. It is nearly 2 years since the surgery that caused all this and what a nightmare journey it has been.Take care and make sure you ask the doctor.plenty of questions.

[CatsandCars in reply to BlueLagoon007]

So far, all my notes have said is pelvic pain and hypertonic pelvic floor. I see the doctor soon. I'm sorry to hear that a surgery caused you so much ongoing pain. That sounds really horrible.

Thank you for your kind words!

[SouthernSally in reply to CatsandCars]

If it was only anaesthetic and not combined with a steroid then it may very well have been used to confirm the problem. Your doctor may add something that is longer lasting next time.

[CatsandCars in reply to SouthernSally]

I think botox injections are considered the most helpful, but I am in the US, and I doubt if insurance will cover it. My husband got a new job, and part of the appeal was that the insurance is a PPO, so I can go anywhere. I particularly needed a new neurologist for my MS. Unfortunately, the new insurance doesn't want to pay for getting botox injections for tight muscles in my neck, which is pretty well accepted. Two different insurance companies have paid for this for many years, but the new company is trying to say it's experimental. I am appealing the decision, but I don't think this bodes well for Botox for the pelvic floor. I have my first physical therapy appointment tomorrow. I have been living with this pain for a long time, so I really hope that the combination of meds, physical therapy, and maybe injections can help me. I particularly hope therapy can help with my hip muscles, so that I can walk normally. My legs work fine, but the pelvic floor and hip flexors are so tight that I really have severe pain if I walk much farther than my mailbox. This has been going on for over a year. 🙏

Edit: The pelvic pain issues have been happening off and on for fifteen years. But it has become a daily thing and has affected my mobility since the hip muscles became involved about a year and a half ago.

[SouthernSally in reply to CatsandCars]

I've had chronic pelvic pain for more than 5 years. I got a Botox injection from a gyno specialist in a hospital practice. I knew up front insurance didn't cover it. It was $2500. It didn't work just as 10 other blocks subsequently didn't.

[CatsandCars in reply to SouthernSally]

Wow, that's incredibly disappointing. I really feel for you. It's hard for me to believe that we can send astronauts into space and medical science can transplant organs from one person into another, but the secrets of the human pelvic area remain a baffling mystery. I know it encompasses as a lot of different structures, and more than one factor can contribute, but it's really discouraging. The hospital I've been going to is unusual in that it has a pelvic medicine department. And ten years ago I doubt if there were very many pelvic floor physical therapists. That is starting to change, at least. I hope that with time they can do more research and figure out how to treat this stuff, but that's not much comfort when it hurts now.