What Is the Meaning of Foot Drop?

Foot drop is characterized by an inability to lift the front of the foot and may cause the foot to drag when walking. It is not a disease itself but rather a symptom of another underlying disease or injury.

Additional Symptoms

• Additional signs of foot drop include slapping your foot down or raising your thigh high when walking in a way that mimics stair climbing and pain or numbness of the foot.

Causes

• Foot drop may be caused by many different neurological or muscular disorders, including muscular dystrophy, nerve damage from injury or illness and redundant pressure on the nerves below the knee.

Diagnosing

• Foot drop can be diagnosed by a physical exam, but a physician may order additional tests, such as an MRI or electromyography test, to measure the activity and function in the nerves.

Treatment

• Along with treating the underlying cause, treatment for foot drop includes special braces or splints to help hold the foot in the correct position, nerve-stimulation therapy, surgery and physical therapy.

Prognosis

• If the underlying cause can be treated, the prognosis is good; however, if the cause is progressive, the foot drop will likely remain or return, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.