Symptoms of nerve damage
Possible symptoms that the peroneal nerve can cause include :
- Pain in the area of the hollow of the knee, the outer side of the lower leg and the foot,
- Numbness on the back of the foot or between the first two toes,
- Paralysis of the extensor muscles to lift the tip of the foot and stretch the toes.
Pain through the nervus peroneus can occur along its course from the hollow of the knee to the back of the foot. They can manifest themselves in many different ways, e.g. : Sometimes a reduced perception of pain, temperature and pressure can be observed down the painful area. This may indicate a pressure point or a fresh lesion of the nerve and surrounding tissue, for example, during an operation or injury to the leg.
In addition, severe pain can occur in a so-called compartment syndrome of the extensor lobe of the lower leg, in which an increase in pressure can lead to compression of the nerve peroneus profundus.If no pressure relief therapy is initiated here, the nerve and other structures may die.
- Pain at rest
- Pain can be triggered by pressure
- Localized pain
- Radiating pain
If the peroneal nerve is damaged, paralysis of the muscles supplied by the nerve can occur. The affected muscles vary depending on the location of the nerve lesion and the affected nerve fibers.
A paresis can result from a direct injury to the nerve, for example in the event of a fracture of the fibula, a deeper cut on the outside of the lower leg or during an operation. Compression of the nerve due to an increase in pressure in a muscle lobe (e.g. in the case of muscle swelling), another space requirement or an improperly applied plaster cast can also lead to nerve damage. Last but not least, a herniated disc at the level of the lumbar spine can cause, among other things, paralysis of the peroneal nerve.
The earlier the peroneal nerve is damaged in its course, the more muscles are affected by the paralysis. In the case of a lesion of the nervus peroneus communis, the entire extensor muscles of the lower leg fail, which leads to a pointed foot posture and a “stepper gait” because the tip of the foot can no longer be actively lifted. In addition, the sensitive supply of the back of the foot fails.
In the case of isolated damage to the nervus peroneus profundus, the extensor muscles of the lower leg are still largely affected and this leads to a pointed foot with stepper gait and a sensitivity disorder between the first two toes. If, on the other hand, only the muscles of the superficial peroneal nerve are affected by the paralysis, the tip of the foot can still be lifted. However, this results in the outer edge of the foot sinking in relation to the inner edge of the foot, which is known as supination. Furthermore, a numbness at the back of the foot is in the foreground. If the nerve branches are damaged later in the course of the disease, some of the muscles that are located in front of them will continue to receive nerve supply and the paralysis will not be too severe.
