Lakers center Dwight Howard reveals nerve damage, said leg felt "dead"

Lakers center Dwight Howard said his leg felt dead because of nerve damage brought on by a bad back. (Noah Graham/NBA/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard revealed on Thursday just how painful his back injury was last season, saying he couldn't even do a leg raise or bend over.

"What a lot of people don't know is when I hurt my back, it affected my nerves to the point where my whole left leg just went dead basically," Howard told the Los Angeles Times. "I couldn't do a calf raise. When I went to see the doctor right before I was traded. Most guys don't recover as fast as you did, especially when it affects your nerve down your leg. It usually takes a year for your leg to regain strength."

Howard had surgery in April for a herniated disk, and he says that it took him two months before he could lift his calf off the ground.