Dr. Tollestrup Uses Nerve Decompression Surgery He Pioneered to Help Sara
Dr. Tollestrup performing nerve surgery
Sara had successful nerve decompression surgery with Dr. Tim Tollestrup and is sharing her story in hopes of helping others.
Sara originally came to see Dr. Tollestrup with pain and weakness in her left hip, groin, and leg. She injured herself carrying her autistic nephew. When she fell, she felt a pain radiate through the entire left leg from the pelvis all the way down into the foot. Immediately, she was unable to bear weight on the left leg while feeling severe pain throughout the entire leg.
Over time, the pelvic pain became more localized to the left groin area. Also, the pain which would radiate down the leg with weight-bearing started to become more constant, even when she wasn’t weight-bearing on the leg.
First Diagnosis
Initially, Sara was diagnosed with a sprained back. Physical therapy failed to improve her symptoms and a subsequent MRI of the lumbar spine showed herniated disks at L4-L5 and L5-S1. An orthopedic evaluation with a hip injection did give her some relief of the groin pain but did not resolve the radiating pain down the leg.
Sara has been tested extensively for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, hemochromatosis, and psoriatic arthritis, all of which have been negative. She has also tried a variety of pain medications, none of which have worked.
Numbness and Weakness
At the time she came to see Dr. Tollestup, Sara had pain in the left hip down into the inner thigh, knee, lower leg and the arch of the left foot. She frequently experiences numbness in the lower leg for long periods of time. Sometimes these periods of numbness last for more than two months.
When the numbness wears off, she experiences a deep burning sensation in the same area. Sara notes some motor weakness in the left leg, particularly when trying to walk downstairs. The pain in the left leg is constant and interferes with her ability to sleep. Overall her symptoms have become progressively worse since the time of the original injury.
Relief Through Nerve Decompression
When operating on Sara, Dr. Tollestrup surgically decompressed the left femoral nerve using an operation that he invented. During this surgery he splits the inguinal (groin) ligament, allowing the entire abdominal wall to be raised up. This then gives access to the femoral nerve from deep in the pelvis all the way out onto the upper thigh, ensuring that the nerve is completely and safely decompressed.
At the same time, he also decompressed the saphenous nerve in the adductor canal which is in the mid-thigh area. These were outpatient procedures and she was able to walk right away.
By the time she came back for her one-week post-op visit her original pain in the left leg was gone.
Here is what Sara had to say after surgery.
“Dr. Tollestrup changed my life. I am finally pain-free. I walked out of the surgery center and into my new life.”
If you or someone you love has chronic pain, fill out a form on the right or call the office to set up an evaluation by Dr. Tollestrup 702-666-0463.