Constant foot and lower leg tingling after adjustment.

by Linda
(Burlington, ON, Canada)

Raise the leg passively parallel to the ground.

Raise the leg passively parallel to the ground.

Constant foot and lower leg tingling after adjustment is obviously of concern; in which toes?


I am supposed to take a flight in 9 days, but now am considering cancelling.
A chiropractor aggressively adjusted my low back three months ago. Later that day my back was tight, and painful and the tingling in my left foot increased. The next day I could not do usual movements in my yoga class. I went back with my problem. I went for several appointments. He believed he could fix it.
I followed up with more appointments believing that my chiropractor's assurances were true. He suggested that things would settle down when I go on holiday due to different beds,etc.

I went away for 6 weeks. I could not go on my usual bike rides. I felt sore and weak. The pain pattern spread from my low back through my right back to my left neck. The leg tingling got worse. When I came back he adjusted my spine but not much in the low spine. Seemed like he was not giving me any answers.
Then I asked for an evaluation, and I see my lumbar vertebrae are misaligned as compared to the first x-ray. The lower vertebrae have shifted off centre.

The tingling now moves around my lower left leg and foot all the time. There is some tingling now in my right foot. I can lift my big toes off the ground. I don't feel numbness in my foot. There some lessening of tingling when I lay down. Can the lower discs be realigned? What do I do to stop damage as I try to find another treatment? What kind of treatment should I ask for? Are there other alternatives? Do you know what is happening?


Hello Linda,
You say above, "a" chiropractor; is he not your usual DC? Why did you consult him in the first place?

Some after chiropractic treatment pain is not unusual, but this is certainly something more. Also, after treatment, the spine is often vulnerable, usually only that day, but sometimes for a few; perhaps yoga the next day, especially as you were stiff and sore was unwise.

Okay, so I'm making excuses for him; still, they are considerations for the future. I say this because situations like this are not that uncommon in any doctor's practice, medical and chiropractic, including my own, only I would have more proactive sooner.

So, where do you go from here? Firstly, a few tests for me.

1. Standing, slowly bend forwards, then backwards, and then to each side. Relate to me EXACTLY what you feel.

2. Sitting in a kitchen chair, flex your head on your chest, and ask hubby to lift your right lower leg parallel to the ground; repeat with the left leg. If it does nothing except equal tightness in the thighs and calves, then repeat with the foot dorsiflexed. Again, report EXACTLY what you feel.

Write down what you feel as you do these tests; the more specific you can be, the more I may be able to grasp what is happening.

3. Did the chiropractor test your reflexes, and the skin sensation in your legs; were they normal? Standing on one leg, can you raise your heel three times off the ground, and hold it steady? Do you feel you were carefully and thoroughly examined? Did he make notes? In and out?

4. At any time has coughing or sneezing elicited pain?

Are you doing any lower back exercises every single day? I recommend ours that you'll find in the navigation bar at chiropractic help, in bed before arising, and again at night; they only take a few minutes. For the present it might sadly be wise to give yoga the miss; a lot of bending and twisting is likely to aggravate things at the moment.

I'm not sure about your trip; prolonged sitting often increases the symptoms; follow your gut feel.

Give me some answers.

Dr B



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