Today I'm going to be talking to you about foot drop. I'm going to tell you a little bit about what
foot drop is, the common reasons that it occurs, and also some possible treatment options that you can
think about. You see, foot drop, or drop foot as it's sometimes called, is where someone has a difficulty
lifting the front part of their foot. And this looks like someone might be dragging their foot, or
sometimes you'll hear it [hand clap] slap down onto the ground. It can be a temporary or permanent situation, so
you'll want to address this as soon as you see it. I also want to point out that drop foot or
foot drop is not a disease it's a symptom of an underlying muscular, neurological, or anatomical
disorder. There are three main causes of foot drop: nerve injury, muscle disorders, or brain and spinal
cord disorders. See, for nerve injuries, damage to or compression of the peroneal nerve is the
most common cause of foot drop. The peroneal nerve is a nerve that carries signals from your brain
and lets you contract the muscles that lift the front part of your foot. And this nerve wraps from
the back side of your knee, to the front of your shin, where it sits really close to the surface
which makes damage pretty easy. Damage to the peroneal nerve can be caused by sports injuries,
hip or knee replacement surgery, low back injuries, like a slipped disc or a pinched nerve, a leg cast
childbirth, or even common things like crossing your legs or kneeling for a long period of time.
Another cause of foot drop is from muscle disorders. And muscle disorders are conditions that
cause muscles to slowly weaken or deteriorate and thus cause foot drop. These disorders may include
muscular dystrophy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease or polio. And a third way the foot drop occurs is from
brain or spinal cord disorders which are disorders that affect the brain and spinal cord directly.
These conditions may include stroke, multiple sclerosis, or MS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,
which is ALS or also called Lou Gehrig's disease, or cerebral palsy. Now, if you want to treat your
foot drop, you have four major ways to address this symptom. The first way is surgery. If your foot drop
is caused by a pinched nerve or herniated disc, then you're likely to have surgery to fix this.
Surgery may also be necessary if you have muscles or tendons that were directly damaged and cause
your foot drop. In long-term cases, you might also have surgery to fuse your ankle and foot bones
to improve your gait and your ability to walk. If you don't require surgery, you have two options if
you want to use electrical stimulation: FES and NMES. FES, or functional electrical stimulation,
is a great alternative to surgery, and is usually performed wearing a small device worn just below
the knee that stimulates the normal function of the peroneal nerve and helps you contract
your muscles and lift the front of your foot while you walk. This can be a device designed
to be worn for long distance ambulation or a device like our SaeboStim Pro that has an FES
trigger for functional training. The SaeboStim Pro also has NMES, or neuromuscular electrical
stimulation, which can also be used for treating foot drop by applying electrical stimulation to
the muscles that lift your foot but while you're sitting. You can let the device cycle on and off
repeatedly contracting those muscles, or better yet, help contract your weakened
muscles while e-stem is being applied so that you work on controlling the muscles yourself.
A third way to treat foot drop is using braces or ankle foot orthoses better known as AFOs.
Wearing a brace, or afo, that supports the foot in a normal position is a common treatment for
foot drop. The device will stabilize your foot and ankle and hold the front part of your foot
off the ground while you walk while. Traditionally, doctors have prescribed bulky stiff splints that
go inside your shoe, like a plastic or carbon fiber AFO, not everyone needs to have this type of brace.
The SaeboStep is a lightweight and cost-effective option that provides
support outside of the shoe and allows you to wear it with almost any type of shoe.
And then the fourth way that you can treat your foot drop is by using physical or occupational
therapy. Therapy to strengthen the foot and ankle and lower leg muscles is a primary treatment
for foot drop and will generally be prescribed in addition to the treatments i just talked about.
Stretching and range of motion exercises will also help prevent stiffness from developing in the heel
and the foot. Well, I hope this video has helped you learn a little bit about foot drop, and that you'll
check out the SaeboStep to see if it's right for you. For more information on the SaeboStep or any
of our other innovative devices, please visit us at www.saebo.com, any of our social media sites, or go
to our youtube page where we have tons of videos Because with Saebo, there's no plateau in sight.