WHAT IS FOOT DROP

Foot drop can be a temporary condition in some cases or can become permanent if therapeutic action is not implemented early. Foot drop is a general term for difficulty lifting the front part of the foot. If you have foot drop, you may drag the front of your foot on the ground when you walk. Foot drop is a sign of an underlying neurological, muscular or anatomical problem. As a result, individuals with foot drop scuff their toes along the ground or bend their knees to lift their foot higher than usual to avoid the scuffing. Foot drop is a common and distressing problem that can lead to falls and injury.

RANGE OF PATIENT SYMPTOMS

• Decreased sensation, numbness, or tingling in the top of the foot or the outer part of the upper or lower leg
• Foot that drops (unable to hold the foot up)
• Toes drag while walking
• General walking problems
• Weakness of the feet or ankles
• Loss of muscle control in the lower legs and feet
• Weakening of the foot or foreleg muscles
• Difficulty lifting up the foot and toes

FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY

In the process of treating pain from the symptoms related to neuropathy, our group has treated a subset of patients, approximately 6%, with peroneal motor nerve dysfunction (foot drop) which have also responded to our treatment. Chronic foot drop is very difficult to reverse.  One of our patients was told by another clinic it would be four years, if at all, before he recovered.  Our treatment has revealed different outcomes. Functional improvements have been significant and in many cases patients are walking much better. In some cases patients have achieved full recovery where function was completely normal in as little as 6 weeks of treatment.