10 red flag symptoms of foot drop

What are the early signs of foot drop?

Inability of your foot to clear the ground while walking, causing the foot to scuff along the ground. This results in a feeling of dragging the foot while you are walking. You may also feel like you have an inability to hold your footwear, like your shoes are loose.

Trips, falls and general stumbling and clumsiness are also early signs of foot drop. This is because the foot is not clearing the ground while walking, leading to instability.

A change in walking pattern, such as steppage gait or circumduction gait. Because the toes are being dragged along the ground, the body tries to compensate in order to lift the foot up and so be able to clear the ground. One way that this can be achieved is by raising the hip, referred to as steppage gait. To get your foot to clear the ground you may also try to swing your leg around to the side in a semi-circle, known as circumduction gait. Due to the weakness of the anterior tibialis muscle that lifts the foot, your foot may also turn outwards when walking.

Numbness and tingling from the calf down to the foot.

Changes in the calf muscles, such as atrophy due to misuse, cramping and spasticity.

Leg and foot fatigue after walking a short distance. You may feel like your foot is limp.

A slapping sound when the dropped foot hits the ground while walking. This is due to reduced flexes in the ankle.

Difficulty standing on your toes or heels, and your foot may flop downward.

Instability at the ankle joint and a tendency to twist the ankle and go over on it.

Romberg’s sign means that you are unable to balance when you are standing with your eyes closed.

The symptoms of foot drop may be constant, or they could be intermittent with periods of normal foot strength and function in between.

When should I be worried about foot drop?

While foot drop can be a serious and debilitating condition, there are treatment options that can limit the effects of foot drop. The experts at Health Design Collective have been researching foot drop and possible treatments for many years, and they can offer the most up to date evidence-based guidance on best practice. This means that not only can you live with foot drop, but you can live well and continue to enjoy activities of daily life. As with any condition, the sooner that you can identify and detect problems and get help and support, then the better the outcomes. If you start to experience any of the symptoms of foot drop, no matter how mild or severe, then you should speak to a health professional in the first instance. While foot drop cannot be cured, there are options in how to manage the condition, and prevent further problems, like the effects of a fall. The research team at the Health Design Collective have not only extensively researched foot drop, but they have used their knowledge and expertise to innovate around the traditional treatments for foot drop to develop new products. If you would like to become involved in testing some of these new products then please visit the contact us page.

What nerve injury causes foot drop?

Foot drop occurs when the muscles in the foot and toes are not able to lift the foot up, and the foot drags along the ground. Muscles are controlled by nerves, and so for muscles to function, the nerve that innervates them (makes them move) must also perform well. Foot drop is frequently seen in neurological conditions, because the nerve that controls the muscles to make the foot function, have been damaged in some way. The peroneal nerve is the major nerve that controls the muscles of the feet and toes. It provides movement and sensation to the lower leg, foot and toes. There are three main muscles that the peroneal nerve innervates to lift the ankle and toes upward (dorsiflexion) and turn the foot outward (eversion);

tibialis anterior; extensor digitorum longus; and extensor hallucis longus.

So, we can now understand how neurological problems can affect our muscles and subsequently lead to foot drop and influence our mobility. We will now look at the various conditions that can cause nerve injury and advance to foot drop.

We can break down the conditions that cause nerve injury and lead to foot drop, into four main categories;

Nerve injuries - trauma such as fractures can damage the peroneal nerve

Peripheral neuropathy - nerve damage associated with diabetes is a major cause of peripheral neuropathy. Other conditions such as Charcot-Marie-tooth disease can also cause peripheral neuropathy.

Sciatic nerve problems – A herniated disc can compress the sciatic nerve (which branches into the peroneal nerve) to cause foot drop

Other conditions - muscular dystrophy, stroke, multiple sclerosis and ALS, Polio, Compartment syndrome, Tumours or cysts are all conditions that typically cause foot drop.

The health design collective is a research group made up of physiotherapists and podiatrists. These experts have worked with people with a variety of conditions that have resulted in foot drop. The researchers have investigated the effects of foot drop and the possible treatment options available. With this knowledge and expertise, and alongside the invaluable input of people with lived experience of these conditions, the health design collective have repurposed traditional management strategies to develop new innovative products. The new cutting-edge footwear has reimagined the classic shoe, to offer a more bespoke solution that is contemporary and elevates people’s capabilities of daily life.