TL;DR: I have no strength in my left leg, and my ankle can’t support any weight. I need to build strength without applying weight.
A few years ago, my health took a turn for the worse, and due to inadequate medical care, I had to advocate for basic treatments like X-rays and chiropractic care, which ultimately helped me recover. My sciatic nerve in the left leg was severely compressed due to degenerative disc disease, leaving me fearful that I might never regain function in that leg. Thankfully, with the help of some excellent chiropractors and a massage therapist, my leg has improved to about 80%. However, after not using it for over a year, it’s so weak that I can’t even stand on my toes for support. Are there any exercises I can do to strengthen my legs and ankles without bearing weight until I can at least stand on my tiptoes again?
I would ideally prefer pool therapy, but that’s not an option for me right now.
I’m happy to hear you’re feeling better! While I’m not sure which specific exercises to recommend, resistance bands might be a good option since they are effective for building muscle and are often used in physiotherapy. I personally use the Weller Bands app for my workouts.
Glute bridges, particularly the single-leg variation, seem like a great starting point. They help strengthen your posterior chain to support your spine, enhance leg strength, and allow your ankle to move through a significant range of motion—all while you’re comfortable in bed.
I’m concerned that it might put strain on my spine since the issue is with my L3-L5 vertebrae. However, doing exercises from bed is a good idea. I keep forgetting how difficult it is to get up now, and for some reason, I always attempt to use my weaker leg to stand up from the floor before I remember that I can’t.
I think I have some minor nerve damage in my foot because it occasionally feels slightly numb (compared to the constant numbness and pins and needles I used to feel), and my toes, foot, and ankle are very weak.
It’s challenging for me to put any weight on just my toes and support myself; I just tried it, and I can somewhat manage, but my calf muscle feels weak, strained, and painful when I do.
I would guess that the entire right side of my lower body, where the sciatic pain affected me, is probably weaker than the left side.
