Partial paralysis of the leg causes Footdrop, preventing one from lifting their foot. The effect is patient instability, jerky walking, and difficulty climbing stairs . It is often described as ‘food dragging’ or ‘the foot slapping the ground’. It affects patients who are victims of neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, or stroke.

Someone with Footdrop tends not to walk as much as they once did, which contributes to weakened muscles over time. Such a patient does not have the ability to curl their toes or point their toes up. This actually makes is quite difficult to engage in numerous activities. First and foremost, their gait is affected while walking. Normally, a stride advances from toe lift through foot lift, to heel contact at the end of the stride. However, a person with footdrop must drag rather than lift their foot while walking or raise the knee to be able to accomplish foot lift. Secondly, they cannot dance, run, drive, or enjoy normal activities everyone else does.

Symptoms of Footdrop

Dragging the foot on the ground while walking

Slapping the toes on the ground uncontrollably while walking

‘Hip hiking’- this is when someone swings their hips with exaggeration in order to try to get their foot off the ground.

Lifting the thigh (with one’s hands) to pull the foot off the ground

A feeling as if the foot is not part of the body and hangs loosely, as though without support

One may experience slight pain, a tingling sensation, or numbness of the foot

Treatment of Footdrop

There are several ways to care and treat for footdrop. Patients should, therefore, not suffer in silence. Here are some of the ways:

Treat the Underlying Problem. Footdrop results from an underlying central nervous system problem, a disorder or trauma. Generally, brain and spinal cord injuries affect the nerves of a person, causing them to malfunction. Therefore, it is important that thorough treatment is sought for the problem to finally relieve footdrop. A window period of about 18 months to 24 months should be given for complete recovery from the underlying problem..

Surgery. If complete nerve recovery is not achieved in that period, and the footdrop is still a problem, minor surgery may be considered to correct the disorder.

Physical Therapy. There are other non-surgical ways to deal with footdrop while recovery from the underlying problem is undertaken. One way is through physiotherapy. One should seek the services of a physiotherapist endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association. The services offered have given hope to many. Treatment involves exercises that are appropriate for footdrop and a patient gets good advice on what activities to engage in and what to avoid. With regular therapy, most patients make some recovery.

Neuromodulation. Functional electrical stimulation of the leg and foot can accelerate physical therapy improvement and help the patient gain muscle strength and stability while walking. Such a medical device as Bioness, Inc.’s L300 Foot Drop System has been clinically demonstrated to improve patient walking speed and stability over various terrains.

It is important to note that very rarely is footdrop a result of muscle malfunction. It is entirely associated with nerve problems.



Al Ahumada is a writer and blogger whose focus is on foot drop (aka drop foot) healthcare issues, including the physical therapy, occupational therapy, and home rehabilitation needs of people who suffer with foot drop caused by central nervous system disorders such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and incomplete (not total) spinal cord injury. He has a special interest in advanced neuromodulation te