Foot drop, sometimes called “drop foot,” is the inability to lift the front part of the foot. This causes the toes to drag along the ground while walking.<\/p>\n
To avoid dragging the toes, people with foot drop may lift their knee higher than normal. Or they may swing their leg in a wide arc.<\/p>\n
Foot drop can happen to one foot or both feet at the same time. It can strike at any age.<\/p>\n
In general, foot drop stems from weakness or paralysis of the muscles that lift the foot. It can have many different causes. Treatments for foot drop vary according to the cause.<\/p>\n
Drop foot is a symptom of an underlying problem, rather than a disease itself. It can be temporary or permanent. Causes of foot drop include:
\n\u2022 nerve injury
\n\u2022 brain or spinal disorders
\n\u2022 muscle disorders<\/p>\n
Here’s some more detail on these causes:<\/p>\n
Nerve injury. Most commonly, foot drop is caused by an injury to the peroneal nerve. The peroneal nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve that wraps from the back of the knee to the front of the shin. Because it sits very close to the surface, it may be damaged easily.<\/p>\n
An injury to the peroneal nerve may also be associated with pain or numbness along the shin or the top of the foot.<\/p>\n
Some common ways the peroneal nerve is damaged or compressed include:
\n\u2022 sports injuries
\n\u2022 diabetes
\n\u2022 hip or knee replacement surgery
\n\u2022spending long hours sitting cross-legged or squatting
\n\u2022childbirth
\n\u2022large amount of weight loss<\/p>\n
Injury to the nerve roots in the spine may also cause foot drop.<\/p>\n
Brain or spinal disorders. Neurological conditions can contribute to foot drop. These include:
\n\u2022 stroke
\n\u2022 multiple sclerosis (MS)
\n\u2022 cerebral palsy
\n\u2022 Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease<\/p>\n
Muscle disorders. Conditions that cause the muscles to progressively weaken or deteriorate may cause foot drop. These include:
\n\u2022 muscular dystrophy
\n\u2022 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
\n\u2022 polio<\/p>\n
Treatment for foot drop will depend on the cause. Early treatment may improve chances of recovery.<\/p>\n
Treatments may include:
\n\u2022 lightweight braces
\n\u2022 shoe inserts (orthotics)
\n\u2022 physical therapy
\n\u2022 surgery<\/p>\n
Lightweight braces are the most common treatment. They’re used to support the leg.<\/p>\n
Physical therapy is used to strengthen foot and leg muscles. It may improve a person’s ability to walk. In some cases, electronic devices that stimulate the leg nerves during walking may be appropriate.<\/p>\n
Surgery may be recommended to try to repair or decompress a damaged nerve. In cases where foot drop is permanent, surgery to fuse the foot and ankle joint or to transfer tendons from stronger muscles may help improve gait and stability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Foot drop, sometimes called “drop foot,” is the inability to lift the front part of the foot. This causes the toes to drag along the ground while walking. To avoid dragging the toes, people with foot drop may lift their knee higher than normal. Or they may swing their leg in a wide arc. Foot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=667"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":668,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667\/revisions\/668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etbodywork.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}