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We all take walking for granted until it becomes difficult due to injury or age. Foot drop is a symptom that causes the front of the foot to slap the floor, making it difficult to walk without causing further injury.
If you're experiencing foot drop symptoms, it's crucial to find the cause of the problem to get relief. Dr. Jeffrey E. McAlister and his team provide compassionate care and diagnostic testing at Phoenix Foot and Ankle Institute.
Dr. McAlister is a foot and ankle specialist providing bracing, minimally invasive surgery, and treatment for conditions like Charcot-Marie Tooth disease, which could be causing foot drop.
When walking, you typically don't think about picking the front of your foot up to walk correctly. But when you have foot drop, you can't lift the front part of your foot, usually due to problems with the muscles that allow dorsiflexion.
The main symptom of foot drop is the inability to lift the front part of the foot. It's often due to some underlying problem and can be acute or chronic.
The weakness or paralysis of the muscles causes the toes to drag, meaning you need to lift the affected knee higher. Trips and falls are some of the complications of foot drop, which can lead to other foot, ankle, and body injuries.
Living with foot drop is complicated until you find the root cause of the problem. You may notice numbness or tingling around the toes and an altered gait while walking.
Getting to the bottom of your symptoms helps us diagnose the main problem causing foot drop. The prevalent causes of foot drop that lead to symptoms include the following:
Peripheral neuropathy happens when something damages the nerves in the legs and feet. The peroneal nerve is a specific peripheral nerve that causes foot drop when it suffers damage. An ankle fracture or knee injury can lead to peroneal nerve damage and foot drop.
Charcot-Marie Tooth disease also affects the peripheral nerves, causing damage and possibly foot drop. Inflammatory conditions and sciatic nerve injury are other causes of foot drop and peroneal nerve injury.
Muscle issues are another cause of foot drop. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myositis, and muscular dystrophy are muscular issues that could lead to foot drop symptoms.
Many other conditions, including chronic issues and acute injuries, also cause foot drop. Lumbar radiculopathy results from spinal stenosis or a herniated disc. Diabetes leads to nerve damage that often affects the foot and toes.
We get to the bottom of the problem to help you get foot drop relief. Based on other symptoms, Dr. McAlister orders diagnostic testing to determine the cause of the foot drop and the correct treatment route.
The only way to treat foot drop successfully and relieve your symptoms is to find the root cause of the problem.
Physical therapy is one treatment option that allows you to regain strength and function in the affected muscles to improve symptoms. PT focuses on strengthening the muscles that support the foot to enhance mobility.
We also provide braces and shoe inserts to keep your foot from falling while walking. Braces support the ankle and keep the foot where it needs to be, while inserts elevate the heel and give the foot clearance from the floor.
Surgery is sometimes necessary to treat foot drop symptoms. We perform tendon transfers to help muscles lift the foot. You may also require nerve repairs to improve nerve function in people with neuropathy or related conditions.
PRP injections and other regenerative medicine treatments also restore nerve function by repairing damage over time.
Call Phoenix Foot and Ankle Institute today to schedule an appointment for foot drop treatment, or request a consultation on our website.
