How do you test yourself for foot drop?

If you are dragging your toes when you walk, frequently tripping or falling, or have numbness and tingling in your foot, then you may suspect that you have foot drop. Foot drop can be caused by many different conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, stroke and neuropathy. If you are concerned that you may have developed foot drop, there are various tests that you can do yourself at home to try to find out if you have foot drop. These tests will not diagnose the foot drop, but they may help you decide whether to seek further advice from a health care professional. These tests can be done at home, but should be done with support, either from another person, or leaning on a railing or countertop for support. This helps to ensure that you do not loose your balance and fall while carrying out the tests.  

Test #1

Standing on your heels: Using a countertop for balance, try to stand on your heels, with your toes pointing up. You should try to stand on both heels at the same time.  If you are able, a variation of this is trying to walk on your heels. If you find standing or walking on your heels difficult or if you cannot do this, then you may have foot drop. This is because foot drop causes difficulty in lifting the front part of the foot.  

Test #2

Muscle weakness: Sitting in a chair with the affected leg stretched out in front of you, pull the toes upwards towards your shin. You can do this with or without your heel resting on the floor, or with your foot on a foot stool. If you find this difficult then you may have muscles weakness, which could indicate foot drop. Foot drop means that the nerves innervating the muscles that lift your toes up are damaged, and so you are unable to pull your toes upwards.  

Test #3

Steps on stairs: Using a railing for support, step slowly up and down a stair or step. Once you can do this comfortable, start to speed up so that you are stepping up and down the step as quickly as you can. If your foot starts to drag and your toes catch on the step, then this may suggest that you have foot drop.  

Other things that you may notice with foot drop, is that you hear a slapping sound when your foot hits the ground.  This is because the muscles that hold the foot up are weak and can’t control the foot as it hits the ground. You may also experience problems while driving, such as difficulty in pressing the pedals.  Some people also notice that there walking pattern is different, and that they are taking higher steps to make sure that their foot clears the ground. This is called steppage gait.  

If you have noticed any of these problems, and you are worried about foot drop, then you should seek advice from a health care professional. If you are diagnosed with having foot drop, then there are treatment options to manage the condition. The experts at the Health Design Collective have researched foot drop for many years and provide the most up to date, evidence based guidelines for managing the condition, and practical solutions to improve walking and stability.