Professional Podiatric Care For Sural Nerve Entrapment
Most people who suffer from sural nerve entrapment will feel various levels of pain in their lower leg, ankle, and foot. Our podiatric experts at Foot & Ankle Centers of Frisco, Little Elm, & McKinney can determine if a conservative approach or surgery is needed to effectively bring function back to your sural nerve. Our board-certified podiatrists are ready to help you find relief from any pain caused by your sural nerve entrapment.
What Is Sural Nerve Entrapment?
Sural nerve entrapment is a condition that occurs when the sural nerve becomes impinged or entrapped by surrounding tissue or bone. The sural nerve is a sensory nerve that is connected to the tibial nerve, which is a branch of the sciatic nerve. It is located in the calf region and runs down the back of the leg to the foot. It is responsible for the skin sensation in the lower leg, ankle, and foot. These sensations include touch, balance, temperature, pain, and position and movement of the foot. When this nerve becomes entrapped, symptoms of pain, numbness, or tingling can be felt in the lower leg, ankle, and foot.
Symptoms may include:
- Tingling or numbness in the lower leg, foot, or ankle
- Burning sensation in the lower leg or foot
- Lack of feeling or sensation in the ankle and foot
- Sensitivity to touch and cold temperatures
- Sharp or throbbing pain in the calf or foot
The pain level caused by entrapment of the sural nerve can range from mild to severe. This condition can be aggravated by activities such as walking, running, or standing for long periods of time and by cold temperatures.
Our Podiatrists Can Identify The Risk Factors That Caused Your Sural Nerve Entrapment
At Foot & Ankle Centers of Frisco, Little Elm, and McKinney, our podiatrists will ask about your medical history, symptoms, and lifestyle habits. There are a variety of factors that can cause your Sural Nerve Entrapment and this includes:
- Trauma- Trauma or injuries, such as fractures, sprains, strains, contusions, or direct blunt force trauma to the lower leg, ankle, or foot can cause sural nerve entrapment.
- Repetitive Stress- Repeating specific movements that place stress on the sural nerve can cause entrapment. These activities tend to be running, cycling, jumping, and other high-impact sports.
- Athletes- Athletes and active individuals tend to place extra stress on their sural nerve from both activities that involve repetitive stress to the nerve and due to a higher risk of re-injury to the areas along the sural nerve.
- Sciatic Nerve Impingement- The network of nerves in the body is complex enough that when the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed, any connecting nerves like the sural nerve will
- Scar Tissue- The development of scar tissue can form due to an injury, surgery, or other trauma to the area around the sural nerve. A build-up of this scar tissue will compress the sural nerve and lead to impingement.
- Obesity- Excess body weight will reduce circulation in the blood and put extra stress on the sural nerve.
- Diabetic and those diagnosed with Diabetes-Related Neuropathy- High blood sugar levels in the body can cause damage and compression to the sural nerve.
- Vascular Diseases- Besides diabetes and obesity, peripheral artery disease is another vascular disease that can cause nerve entrapment. This disease narrows the blood vessels and causes enough inflammation to entrap the sural nerve.
To ensure an accurate diagnosis, your podiatrist will include a physical exam and a nerve conduction test. The information gathered by your podiatrist will include your foot's range of motion, your ability to move your toes, and the strength and function of your sural nerve. Lastly, imaging tests may be used to see the severity of inflammation and damage to your sural nerve. These tests may include an X-ray, MRI, or ultrasound.
What Treatments Are Available For Sural Nerve Entrapment?
Most of our patients respond well to a conservative treatment plan for sural nerve entrapment and this may include:
- Over-the-counter pain medication
- Resting your foot
- Switching between ice and heat therapy
- Orthotics and braces
- Physical therapy
- Completing daily stretching exercises
- Diabetic foot orthotics
The goal of treatment is to relieve your pain by reducing inflammation and allowing the sural nerve to regain function naturally. Other times, the underlying cause of the sural nerve entrapment can only heal properly with surgery. In these more severe cases, your podiatric surgeon will release the entrapped sural nerve, decompress the sural nerve, or remove scar tissue that is placing stress on the nerve.