Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Foot Drop Causes


 Foot drop, sometimes called drop feet, is a general term with regard to difficulty lifting the front the main foot. If you have feet drop, you may drag the front of your foot on the floor when you walk.

Foot drop is not a disease. Rather, foot drop is really a sign of an underlying nerve, muscular or anatomical problem.

Occasionally foot drop is temporary. Within other cases, foot drop is actually permanent. If you have feet drop, you may need to wear a brace in your ankle and foot to hold your foot inside a normal position.

Specific treatment for foot drop can sometimes include:

Braces or splints. A brace in your ankle and foot or splint which fits into your shoe might help hold your foot in an ordinary position.

Physical therapy. Exercises that strengthen your quads and help you maintain the flexibility in your knee and ankle joint may improve gait problems related to drop foot.

Nerve stimulation. Sometimes stimulating the nerve that lifts the foot whenever you step (peroneal nerve) improves feet drop, especially in the case of foot drop the result of a stroke. In some cases, a little, battery-operated electrical stimulator is strapped towards the leg just below the leg. In other cases, the stimulator is implanted within the leg.

Surgery. In cases exactly where foot drop is permanent, surgery that fuses ankle or even foot bones or that transfers tendons to stronger quads may be helpful to enhance walking difficulties.

The goal of any kind of treatment for drop foot is that will help you maximize your mobility and self-reliance.

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