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What is ‘Foot Drop’?
‘Foot drop’ or ‘Drop Foot’ is a general term used to describe difficulty lifting the front part of the foot.
It is a term used to describe a sign of an underlying neurological, muscular or anatomical problem.
If you have foot drop you might notice:
Foot drop can be temporary or permanent. Depending on the cause it can affect one or both feet.
What causes Foot drop?
Foot drop is caused by weakness or paralysis of the muscles involved in lifting the front part of the foot to flex the ankle.
Nerve Injury: The most common cause of foot drop is compression of a nerve in your leg that controls the muscles involved in lifting the foot. This nerve can also be injured during hip or knee surgery. People who have diabetes may be more susceptible to peripheral nerve disorders which could also cause foot drop.
Nerve root injury: This can also be described as a ‘pinched nerve’ in the spine.
Muscle or nerve disorders: Various forms of muscular dystrophy can cause progressive muscle weakness. So can other disorders such as polio or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
Brain and spinal cord injury: Foot drop is a common presentation seen in conditions including stroke, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cerebral palsy, spinal injury.
Treatment for Foot Drop
Treatment for foot drop depends on the cause and the presentation which may vary between individuals.
Hopeful outcome following therapy with a combination of these therapeutic approaches, the problems associated with drop foot can be minimised, and potentially improve over time. Joint movement, muscle strength, balance, and efficiency of walking can improve. In some cases, people can return to higher level activity such as long-distance walking, running and jumping.
If therapy is avoided with the presentation of Foot Drop the outcome is very limited and the condition potentially may not improve, leading to longer term problems with walking and balance.
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