The most common cause of peroneal nerve compression problems is habitual leg crossing. By crossing your legs and compressing the area behind your knees the peroneal nerve can be damaged, leading to a common finding called foot drop. People who have this type of nerve damage will usually present with tripping episodes due to foot drop, and tingling and numbness in their affected leg and foot. Pain can also be present. Most peroneal nerve problems respond to conservative management with rest and elimination of triggering factors, such as leg crossing. Physical therapy and ankle-foot orthosis can help to stabilize gait and prevent tripping.
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Tags: foot drop, foot injury, leg crossing, nerves, nervous system, peroneal nerve
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
February 11th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I want to share my experience with you, as I used to cross my leg and found out that during the times that I did this ritual, my leg would “fall asleep” as we call it, also there was a sensation of “no blood flow” into the leg after the leg was returned to the floor to a rest position. Although I have not seeked medical help at this point, I have ceased to the crossing my leg and now don’t suffer from this condition anymore.