Foot Drop Treatment

What is Foot Drop Treatment?

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 drop can happen to one foot or both feet at the same time. It can strike at any age.

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.

Causes

Foot drop is a symptom of an underlying problem, rather than a disease itself. It can be temporary or permanent.

• Nerve injury
• Brain or spinal disorders
• Muscle disorders

Here's some more detail on these causes:

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.

An injury to the peroneal nerve may also be associated with pain or numbness along the shin or the top of the foot.

Some common ways the peroneal nerve is damaged or compressed include:

• Sports Injuries
• Diabetes
• Hip or knee replacement surgery
• Spending long hours sitting cross-legged or squatting
• Childbirth
• Large amount of weight loss

Injury to the nerve roots in the spine may also cause foot drop.

Brain or spinal disorders. Neurological conditions can contribute to foot drop. These include:

• Stroke
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Cerebral palsy
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Muscle disorders. Conditions that cause the muscles to progressively weaken or deteriorate may cause foot drop. These include:

• Muscular dystrophy
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
• Polio