I got drop foot in both feet from a genetic blood disorder that caused some serious nerve damage in Nov. '06

I had some plastic articulated AFO's that pretty much came up to me knees. As my overall leg strength came back, I had the AFO's cut down about 8 inches above the knee, which made them more comfortable and cooler.

In this last month, I had two more pairs made. One is made out of a much lighter and pliable plastic and is still just as supportive and fit a little better into shoes.

The other pair, has been mentioned before, the silicone pair called SAFO's made by a company in London. I am looking forward to becoming more active and cycle again someday, so I thought these would be more comfortable. I just got them last week and they are definitely more comfortable. However, it does not hold my foot up long enough such that I can roll through a step, so in other words, my feet slap when I walk. My foot clears, but the walking biomechanics are wrong. I am working with my orthotist to see if I can get recast with my foot in a different angle so that I have a greater foot lift. With this said, I do like them am going to ask my physical therapist if the MBT shoes in conjunctions with the SAFO;s would be ok if I have to keep my current pair. BTW: my foot drop is pretty severe, so if you have mild drop foot, the SAFO may work well.

The company is called Dorset Orthopedics and they have been very responsive to my many questions. There are no places that have used them in the West Coast that are listed on the list they will send to you if you ask. Fortunately, Loma Linda Prosthetics Dept was willing to work with me to get them to me...they are an awesome group. Just be aware that it can be a pain to get your casts and final product to/from London, so ask for shipping suggestions from Dorset. Secondly, remember the dollar is really weak compared to the pound, so they are costly, but my insurance paid 90%. Thirdly, ask your orthotist to writed "Trial Pair" on the casts so that you can return them if they do not work. Lastly, as of today, they do not accept purchase orders or checks from companies in the US...only credit cards or a wire transfer, which is a little ridiculous given that Loma Linda is pretty well known, but that is how it is.

Anyway, if and when get my new pair, I will try and remember to post again to tell you how they are..

BTW: I have the pair with velcro on the outside, so it is not as aesthetically pleasing as the pair which have the velcro on the inside and thus hidden (and more expensive of course).

Good luck.

Ceri - I live in England too and have the dreaded foot drop which I ended up with in January this year following a herniated disc. I was originally given the plastic AFO which you describe - but being a girly girl there was no way I was going to stick with it. Take a look at the dorset orthopedic website - they are based in Hampshire! They made a silicone ankle orthotic, its expensive but you may be able to get funding through your nhs trust! I bought one last months and its been great, its comfy, discreet and I can wear it with normal footwear - although you may have to forget the heels as I am sure your balance is not great!
good luck

Foot drop can be so frustrating. I am recovering from a spinal cord injury from 7 years ago. I have recovered really well considering i shouldn't be walking at all. I have slight weakness in my hips and knees but have complete foot drop. I have been in braces for 5 years and while they work they aren't very attractive, and they don't help the muscles or the nerves.
Last year I was fit with WalkAide, which uses a small electrical current to activate the peroneal nerve which lifts the foot to eliminate the foot drop. The unit is a small box which attaches to the leg with a cloth cuff just below the knee. Two electrodes are placed on the skin and attach to the cuff. When you walk the "box" recognizes when the foot leaves the ground and activates the stim, once the foot is safely on the floor the stim turns off. It is very comfortable and feels like a small tap on my leg.
It has completely changed my life. I would encourage everyone to look at the website and find a practitioner in your area. The initial evaluation is completely free.
Good luck- Tina
WalkAide.com

I had a prior emergency discectomy 6 years ago, and it turned out to be me much more, L4 & L5 both fragmented and moved up my spine. My surgeon had to make another incision in my back and remove the pieces. He says it was so close to the nerve and another movement and I would have been paralyzed. He said never to injur that disc again or I wouldn't walk. That surgery changed me, and I was fine. Then this year Feb 2006, the fool maintenance guy tried to steel the cable out of my tv throught the ceiling and i caught him hoisting it up. He in return dropped the tv in my arms (huge flat screen) i was stuck holding this tv for minutes, while i ripped the cables out, because i couldnt' get the tv off of me.My MIR said I had multiple disc herniations, my doctor waited to send me to a Neurosurgeon, after 3 million meds and major painful muscle spasms I admitted myself to the ER, I ended up being transported between ospitals and I had emergency surgery. The neurosurgeon that operated on me told me it was the largest l5 disc he had ever seen. He thinks i made the medical books, but he also said that he saved my legs. I was very close to being paralyzed(duh). I re-injured my last injury and now i have constant muscle twitches, pain from back thru my thigh and hip. a huge block in my back. My toes are numb in both feet, especially the right side. My heels goes so numb I cant touch it, i have rocks in my feet that get huge and I cant walk, knife like pains, and my foot inside feels like an opening door, like its separating and a few other problems. My dr prescribed neurontin, ultram and had another Mri and it looks like I Have disc fragments that are touching the nerve and a recurrent injury. He says surgery for picking out the disc fragments and fusing my discs may be the only way to help me, but i told him no (for now) so he referred me to a pain specialist. She seems confused. She is doing the process of elimination. She thought i had runner's feet. But the injections didn't work. (i knew i didn't have that.) The Drs all seemed confused because i have no calf pain. She prescribed me different meds, for neuropathy and to stop the muscle twitching and B12 pills. We will see how that works. There has to be some other tests to show the nerve damage, and other treatment options. I mean if this permanent tell me, don't use me like a guniea pig. Any thoughts on this, would be appreciated. I have done so much research on this. But speaking to people who experience is so much more informative.

thanks
Cathy

Hello All,
I empathize in your pain and concern in this subject. I am a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and have seen several patients with drop foot. The causes are of course different, but the result usually the same: an inability to properly lift one's foot when walking, combined with pain, shame and an altered lifestyle. Damage to the peroneal nerve that branches from the sciatic nerve down the lateral side of the knee and leg affects the ankle and foot's ability to dorsiflex. This can be due to post surgery, a herniated disk or nerve damage resulting from brain trauma, etc.
While some countries may have more products to assist this condition, the truth is those products don't address the underlying problem. In treating patients with Tuina, a Traditional Chinese Massage that has made a name for itself as the "trauma massage," I have seen progress in these cases thanks to the increased blood flow to the affected areas. When thinking about treatment, you should make sure to consider where the nerve begins as well as it's course through the leg and foot.
For those who have considered acupuncture, and are hesitant, perhaps you would benefit from Tuina? Both methods (acupuncture and tuina) focus on the meridians involved. Because meridians are not limited to one side of your body, treating the healthy side of your body will positively affect the injured side. Think of it as reinforcing the standard, and requesting or alerting the faulted side to wake up. This isn't to say that if you have drop foot on both sides that it can't be treated, it is just one of the many approaches that can be explored.
Another great method is scalp acupuncture. The area stimulated on your scalp corresponds with motor coordination and can be applied to lower extremities. This method follows a distal approach to innervating nerves and enhancing blood flow to the affected area. Ear acupuncture is also extremely useful as a distal approach. You can have ear seeds placed on the helix of your ear corresponding with sensitive areas like ankle, foot, sciatica, hip, lumbar etc.. They're stuck there with tape and the patient stimulates them by pressing on the seed.
From personal experience, though my case is nothing compared to the severity of a drop foot condition, with a posterior sacroiliac joint problem that affects my gait and creates a nasty back spasm sometimes while riding my bike, seeking a posture therapist ( I know sounds silly) totally helped. I received an evaluation of my body's quirks and torsions as well as minor exercises to isolate different muscle groups and correct the alignment problems. After the first visit, my shoulders had widened, my hips opened and my feet regained their normal balance on the ground. I was amazed!
I feel strongly that a combination of these methods would be greatly beneficial.

Hi there, my boyfriend has been diagnosed with footdrop 9 weeks ago and had an operation to remove some disc matter that was trapping nerves in L4 and L5. The back pain is sorted now but unfortunately the footdrop is still there.

We are in England and was wondering if anyone out there manages a good working and personal life (i.e. managed to return to their old job) whilst suffering from footdrop. Is this seen as a permanent disability?

He is seeing a neurologist in a couple of weeks and is due to get a foot splint so any advice will be greatly received.

Thanks for your reply. I will look into that. Shoes are nightmare. I found slippers and reebok flip flops (cushioned) are the only ones I can walk in. Has anyone ever heard of Arachnoiditis? I have been doing so much research and that's the only place I could find my rocks in the feet and I have a lot of the same symptoms. Does anyone else have that?

Hi, I am 32/M also from England, but instead of my foot drop being caused by spinal problems, mine is due to a head injury.
I collapsed at work and smacked my head against a metal pole which fractured my skull and ended up getting a blood clot on the brain. It all removed and I am back to normal, but for the foot drop. Foot drop was caused purely from the impact to the skull. I have no physical pain with it whatsoever. But it is highly annoying, especially since i am ex army and can't even go for a run nowadays.
Am I the only person on this site who's foot drop is not from a spinal injury?

Hi,
I new to this kind of thing. But on the 17th of Janurary 2009 I went to hospital with a pain running from the front of the knee to the ankle all the way down the front of the lower part of the limb. Icouldn't put up with the pain one more minute. I'm allergic to Morphine and coedine so they were really struggling to control the pain. Afew days in hospital my foot began to drop and then after a few more days I started having trouble urinating and moving my bowels. the doctors sent me for xrays ultrasound and ct scan. They had found I had herniated L4 and L5 discs in my back. They flew to Brisbane where I under went a discetomy to releive the pressure off the nerve. After the operation on the 6th day I started getting pins and needles in my right hand on the last three fingers but no-one has been able to tell me whats wrong as yet. It is now 7th march and I am still having trouble urinating at times especially of a night and I dont have not much if any feeling during sexual intercourse with my husband. My hand has not improved and I dont seemed to be getting any answers so I'm frustrated and depressed. Ihave read everyones problems and just wondering can any body help with mine?

Hi everyone
I am 25 years old and I have footdrop in my left foot as a result of severe nerve damage due a huge tumour in my calf which was removed 2 years ago.
After a variety of tests and treatments including electrical nerve stimulation and intense physio and hydrotherapy it appears my foot drop is permenant.
I suffer from quite intense pain in my ankle and still frequently fall as a result of the disability. I have been offered further surgery in the form of a tendon transfer and am currently stuck in the NHS referral loop from one hospital to another. I'm not entirely convinced I want more surgey as I am now reasonably independent, I can drive my car and with care even walk the dogs on the river bank. However, having ended up in A&E on saturday night after wrenching my ankle yet again and ending up back on crutches I am giving some serious thought to having the tendon transfer and wondered if anyone on here had had the surgery and could tell me a little about it. I'm especially interest in recovery time as my son is only twelve weeks old and I need to be able to care for him after the surgery.

omg im so happy Ive found this site!

hi im a 24m struggling with foot drop!

was playing hockey and twisted my ankle pretty bad, i have what they called is compartment syndrome, it is caused by built up pressure in my anterior tibial muscle. they tried to save it but it died. so I had to get two muscles removed anterioir tibial and not sure what other , also 3 ligiments removed.

I have severe drop foot on my right foot and not coping with it well. I was a jock so its been pretty tough, sucks how you cannot drive, and do so many other activities I used to.
the pain is unbearable right side of my leg is so soar everyday now the pain is moving to my left leg because of the over compensating.

I was wondering if anyone had tips on how to treat the pain im on t3's and getting so sick of popping these pills. Ive read accupunture helps? and this SAFO brace could you wear it with a shoe? cant stand this effin AFO PLASTIC peice of s***!

pretty tough for me as I do nothave insurance. so physio, is out the question for me, just cannot afford it. please help not sure what help I can get without any $$$ i guess. so depressing this pain. anyone have any good workouts, streches i can do. I try and go to the gym but just keep on injuring it.

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