Archive for November 19th, 2009
Foot drop means that when the leg is lifted from the ground, the foot droops downward at the ankle. The muscles that are supposed to move the foot have become so weakened they cannot overcome gravity. When a person with this problem tries to walk, they have to either hike the leg higher to clear their drooping foot of the ground or risk tripping over it.
There are multiple possible causes for this condition and one of the most common culprits is injury to a nerve-bundle in the leg known as the peroneal nerve. Injury of the common peroneal nerve (the parent of the two branches) are the result of the impairments associated with each of the branches. This means that the ankle and toes cannot cock upwards, the outside edge of the foot cannot lift and there is numbness on the outside of the calf and top of the foot. A drop foot brace can be very effective in helping a person to walk with this condition.