Weakness in legs and feet vs numbness: what your nerve symptoms mean

Weakness in legs and feet and numbness can feel alike at first, but they are different signals, and telling them apart is the first step to finding the cause. This week, widely shared coverage of a memoir by the late actor Eric Dane put that difference in the news.

What happened in Eric Dane’s case?

Mr. Dane’s memoir, My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments, went on sale on November 3, 2026.^[8] According to coverage of the book, his first problem was losing the use of his right hand. A neurologist first thought it was likely some form of neuropathy.^[9] After tests that included an EMG, his doctors agreed on multifocal motor neuropathy, a rare autoimmune nerve disorder. He was given immunoglobulin treatment but did not respond, and he still could not move his right hand.^[10,9] He was diagnosed with ALS in 2024 and died on February 19, 2026, at age 53.^[10,11]

The reports describe his symptoms starting in his hand, not his feet. We had no connection with Mr. Dane and never examined him, and this is based on public reports as of November 7, 2026. His story shows why the kind of weakness matters.

Numbness vs weakness: what is the difference?

Sensory nerve fibers carry feeling. Motor fibers make muscles move.

• Sensory symptoms: numbness, tingling, pins and needles or burning.
• Motor symptoms: toes that catch on the ground (foot drop), tripping, trouble on stairs, shrinking muscles (wasting) or small twitches (fasciculations).

Doctors ask: mostly feeling or mostly strength? One side or both? Days or months?^[1]

Weakness in legs and feet from a trapped nerve: can surgery fix it?

Often, yes. This is the pattern a nerve surgeon hopes to find, because it is fixable.

The peroneal nerve wraps around the outer knee, just under the skin, and is the most common trapped nerve in the leg. The usual sign is foot drop, sometimes with numbness in the foot or leg.^[3] A squeezed peroneal nerve at the knee is the most frequent cause of foot drop, and crossing your legs out of habit may be the most frequent reason it gets squeezed.^[12] At the inner ankle, a trapped tibial nerve (tarsal tunnel syndrome) can cause pain, numbness, tingling and weakness along its path.^[13] See numbness in only one foot.

Surgery to free the nerve (decompression, also called neurolysis) has strong results when pressure is the cause:

• Foot drop. In a pooled review of 368 people, 42% had no ankle-lifting movement before surgery. After the release, the typical strength score was 5 out of 5, and 54% reached full strength.^[4]
• Timing. In 20 people who had the nerve released, 74% with weakness got stronger and 69% with foot drop lost it, mostly those operated on within 12 months of symptoms starting.^[14]
• Tarsal tunnel. In 62 people who had a release, average foot scores were 61 out of 100 before surgery (in those measured) and 80 after, and were higher when symptoms had lasted under a year.^[15] In 76 feet followed at least five years, 65% did well with non-surgical care, and adding a release after six months without relief raised that to 78%.^[16]

When a nerve can’t recover, nerve and tendon transfers can be used to help restore foot lift.^[3] Dr. Efe Ozturk, a double board certified Foot and Ankle Surgeon and podiatrist, performs nerve decompression for appropriate patients. Don’t wait out a weak foot. Read more about foot drop and common peroneal nerve compression.

Numbness in both feet: the stocking pattern

Peripheral neuropathy usually starts in the toes and slowly creeps up both legs, like a stocking. It affects feeling more than strength, though mild weakness can occur. Diabetes is the most common cause.^[2] Numbness that is clearly worse in one foot, or weakness that outweighs the numbness, does not fit. Those features should send you to a neurologist or neuromuscular specialist.^[5] Learn more about peripheral neuropathy.

Weakness without numbness: when to see a neurologist

Weakness that slowly worsens without pain and with little or no numbness needs a neurologist promptly.

Multifocal motor neuropathy. MMN is an autoimmune condition that attacks motor nerves almost only. Weakness is uneven from side to side and affects the hands and forearms most. On nerve tests, the signal is blocked at spots that are not usual pinch points. Immunoglobulin, an infusion of antibodies from donated blood, keeps or restores strength in most people, and the main condition to tell it apart from is motor neuron disease.^[6] In small trials, strength improved in 78% of people given immunoglobulin, versus 4% given a placebo.^[17]

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). ALS damages the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control muscles. Weakness without pain starts in one area and spreads, and in about 65% of people it begins in a limb, as hand weakness or foot drop. Stiffness, twitching and wasting are common. The diagnosis rests on the exam, supported by EMG.^[7]

MMN and ALS are treated by neurologists, not with nerve surgery. Our job is to spot the pattern and refer you quickly.

Fast weakness is an emergency. Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body can be a stroke, so call 911.^[18] In Guillain-Barré syndrome, weakness often starts in the feet, worsens over hours or days, and can climb to the breathing muscles.^[19] Leg weakness with trouble passing urine, bladder or bowel leakage, or groin numbness can mean cauda equina syndrome, pressure on the low back nerve roots, and needs immediate care.^[20]

How do doctors tell the patterns apart?

• A careful exam. We test strength muscle by muscle, map lost feeling, check reflexes and tap along the nerves. A careful exam goes a long way toward finding the site.^[12]
• Nerve conduction studies and EMG. These are the main nerve tests.^[1] They help locate the injury, measure the damage and predict recovery.^[12] Another specialist performs them, and we coordinate and review the results with you. See nerve testing for foot pain.
• Imaging. Ultrasound, CT and MRI can show what is pressing on a nerve.^[12] The practice has on-site X-ray and ultrasound.

More causes can now be treated, so finding the cause is often time-sensitive.^[1] Our sister practice explains nerve pain in the feet (external site).

What are the limits?

The pooled foot drop review said higher-quality studies are still needed, and one death from infection was reported among its 368 patients.^[4] The five-year tarsal tunnel study looked back at past patients rather than comparing groups.^[16] Not every trapped nerve recovers fully, and longer symptoms can mean less recovery.^[14]

Common questions

What causes weakness in legs and feet?

For foot drop, the most frequent cause is a trapped peroneal nerve at the knee. Others include a pinched L5 nerve root in the back, sciatic nerve damage, and disease of the motor nerve cells.^[12]

Is foot drop caused by a nerve?

Usually.^[12] When a squeezed peroneal nerve is the cause, releasing it improves ankle strength.^[4]

What is the difference between multifocal motor neuropathy and ALS?

Both cause weakness without much numbness. MMN is an autoimmune nerve condition that often responds to immunoglobulin.^[6] ALS damages the motor nerve cells, spreads over time, and is cared for by a team that includes neurologists.^[7]

When to see a specialist

Book an evaluation if your toes catch, you have started to trip, or one foot is numb or weak and not improving. We see patients in Lyndhurst, Paramus and Millburn. Please call our office at 908-215-5953 to inquire about your insurance.