DEAR DR. GOTT: About three years ago, in a slip and fall, I suffered a separation of the quadriceps from the left kneecap. The surgery went well, and I have complete recovery and use of my left leg. About six months later, I started to feel numbness in the toes of my right foot. This has been getting worse and spreading into the ball of my foot. There is no pain.

My doctor ordered a scan of the lower lumbar area. He read the scan and said that he saw a possible arthritic spur in contact with the nerves and that it was the cause of the numbness. He then sent me to a pain clinic, where two doctors studied my scan and concluded that I had a compressed disc that could be contacting the nerves. These differing diagnoses have left me puzzled. All three recommended cortisone injections.
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