I recently had an epidural injection into my lower spine (as a treatment for hip/spine syndrome). At some point during the procedure I felt what seemed like an intense electrical shock down my left leg, all the way to the foot. Following the procedure I tried to stand, and almost fell over. My left leg couldn’t support me at all. According to the doctor, my brain “forgot where the ankle was.” It was six hours before my leg was fully back to normal.
What exactly happened to my leg during the procedure, and how did it affect my brain’s awareness of my ankle?
I suspect the needle during the epidural may have actually touched the nerve itself, or pushed on something that indirectly applied pressure to the nerve itself.
I’m not a doctor and you’re supposed to ask medical opinions in IMHO. The basis for my theory is that it sounds almost identical to what happens when you hit the nerve in your elbow with something.
I have been involved with many X-ray/CT myelograms (putting X-ray contrast into spinal canal/fluid-area to eval for disc heniations/ruptures) and have seen such side-effect(s) as OP states. An epidural uses same basic invasive process as far as putting needle into spinal fluid, per se. It was always attributed to ‘hitting a nerve(s)’ where needle penetrates the canal. That is why those who have myelograms have a longer waiting/observation period prior to going home, so I was told by many radiologists/anesthesiologists. HTH.
Your Doc did not explain in much detail of what had likely happened, IMHO. Brain did not “forget” - the nerve signal’s pathway was interrupted temporarily to your leg, in a manner of speaking.