Foot Drop, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

Foot drop is a medical disorder with muscular weakness or paralysis that makes it difficult to lift the front part of the foot and toes.
Foot drop is a sign of an underlying disorder rather than a condition itself.
This could be muscular, produced by nerve damage in the leg, or the result of a brain or spinal injury.
Foot drop normally only involves one foot, but both feet may be involved depending on the cause.
It can be temporary or permanent.
Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited genetic conditions that produce gradual muscle weakness and can sometimes result in foot drop.
Foot drop can also be linked to other muscle wasting disorders, such as spinal muscular atrophy or motor neuron disease.
2. Peripheral nerve problems or neuropathy
Foot drop is often produced by compression of the nerve that controls the muscles that lift the foot.
Occasionally nerves near the knee or lower spine can be trapped.
The nerves in the leg can also be injured or damaged during knee replacement or hip replacement surgery.
Foot drop can sometimes be caused by nerve damage linked to diabetes (known as a neuropathy).
Inherited disorders such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease are also a frequent cause of peripheral nerve damage and muscle weakness that can result in foot drop.
3. Brain and spinal cord disorders
Foot drop can also be caused by conditions that affect the brain or spinal cord, such as:
a. Stroke
b. Cerebral palsy
c. Multiple sclerosis
Imaging tests, such as an X-ray, ultrasound scan or a computerized tomography (CT) scan, may be needed
If the patient has foot drop, the patient will find it hard to lift the front part of the foot off the ground.
This means the patient will have the likelihood to scuff the toes along the ground raising the danger of falls.
To avoid this, the patient may lift the foot higher than usual when walking.
Treatments are:

1. Physiotherapy to strengthen the foot, ankle and lower leg muscles
2. Wearing an ankle-foot orthosis to hold the foot in a normal position
3. Electrical nerve stimulation in certain cases it can help lift the foot
4. Surgery is an operation to fuse the ankle or foot bones may be done in severe or long-term cases

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Foot Drop
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Muscle Dystrophy
Chapter 8 Cerebral Palsy
Epilogue

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