Hi all I have heard the term DROP FOOT a lot on hear. This may sound silly but…What is it?? Am new to all this. Many thanks Julie x
Hi, don’t worry hun, it’s not a daft question at all!
It is often one of the first more noticeable symptoms of MS, plus other neurological problems.
In MS the signals from the brain telling a part of your body to move, don’t always reach their destination.
This is because the myelin sheath covering the nerve conduction channels gets damaged…causing the messages to ‘get lost in the system’.
So when you want to walk and you think you’ve lifted a foot, but haven’t, this is what is called foot drop. It can cause a stumble, trip, or fall.
Is that clear enough?
Pollx
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Drop Foot means instead of the heel being the first part of the foot to strike the ground during the step movement, the toes or ball of the foot is the first part to strike the ground.
This - without any other problems - causes issues with balance and locomotion, often causing people to catch their feet on the ground and take a spill as a result.
There are several ways to address this, depending on how severe it is, the reason for drop-foot, how long the issue has been happening,
I myself have had drop-foot for about 8 years now - very mild to start with and progressively more acute as time has gone on.
The best thing I ever used to address it was a device referred to as an FES (…Functional Electrical Stimulation) which helps the nerve signal reach the muscles instructing a person to lift their foot.
I hope this helps, but I’m sure others will be along soon to further explain the term !!
Dom
hi julze
i had drop foot just before my diagnosis.
mostly i could tell it was happening and used exaggerated steps.
i had a bad fall and so was referred to a neuro rehab podiatrist.
he made me some insoles for my boots which were brilliant for me.
a lot of people don’t like them though.
like everything else it’s a case of trial and error.
ask your ms nurse to refer you.
carole x
Thank you all. I have really bad drunk walking going on but my feet don’t seem to do what I want. I have bad weakness on my left side which has affected my right leg! I feel doomed! lol I am yet to see anyone about this MS but have my appointment on the 29th . Thank you xx
Julze,
Take a look at this website for some possible aids.
Where I live the NHS Physiotherapy department provides such aids for free, but these services are at the mercy of the dreaded postcode lottery.
Assuming you already have a diagnosis, as suggested by the description under your name, I suggest you contact your MS nurse in the first instance who will advise you of the Physiotherapy contact for your area.
In addition, subject to the vagaries of the postcode lottery, your Occupational Therapy service can assess your house and advise on any aids about the house which may help, and provide them. Things such as grab rails, shower seats, rollators and so on.
Alternatively, you can wait till your appointment on the 29th, presumably with your neurologist(?), and raise these issues then.
Best of luck,
Alun
I have suffered foot slap, a precursor to foot drop, since May this year. Foot slap is where the front of the foot strikes the floor hard as you walk, rather than rolling smoothly. It feels like it’s getting worse. I’ve seen a neurophysiologist who gave me an orthotic ankle support. All this does is brace and immobilise the ankle. She also referred me to the FES clinic, but told me not to expect the appointment any time soon.
Hi Julie
I used to see the adverts in MS Matters for foot drop solutions and vaguely wondered what it was. Then I developed it and found out for myself.
When you can pick up your toes and flex your foot up just from the stimulus coming from your brain, it’s called ‘dorsi-flexion’. The nerve that stimulates this action is the cause of the problem in MS. The early signs of foot drop (or drop foot) are the slapping when the time taken for the foot to hit the floor shortens. As it gets worse, you find you can’t pick your toes up at all.
There are lots of solutions to foot drop. The most basic is the ‘foot-up’ device that Alun gave the link to (you may get your physio to get you one of these or you can buy them for about £50). Also there are a variety of orthotic devices available. Often called Ankle Foot Orthoses or AFOs. These are devices that hold your foot in the correct position so that it’s fixed. Both solutions work, so long as you can pick up your foot properly off the floor (i.e. the hip and the knee are giving the right nerve signals). You should be able to get a referral to your local NHS orthotics department, which is probably situated within your hospital. Also, there a custom made option called a SAFO (moulded to your foot and made of silicon) which is not available on the NHS and costs a few hundred pounds.
The best option is Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) device. This uses electrodes stuck on your leg under the knee and attached to a box which sends a signal, either wired or wireless, to a device that makes your foot pick up, and also controls the speed with which it hits the floor. There are several companies that make different versions. FES is sometimes available on the NHS, it all depends on your local NHS service as to whether they’ll fund it. Yup, postcode lottery time.
I’ve used them all. I can only walk a little bit and that together with a walker and an FES which I’ve had to self fund as my local CCG won’t fund it.
Sue
Hi Julie
I used to see the adverts in MS Matters for foot drop solutions and vaguely wondered what it was. Then I developed it and found out for myself.
When you can pick up your toes and flex your foot up just from the stimulus coming from your brain, it’s called ‘dorsi-flexion’. The nerve that stimulates this action is the cause of the problem in MS. The early signs of foot drop (or drop foot) are the slapping when the time taken for the foot to hit the floor shortens. As it gets worse, you find you can’t pick your toes up at all.
There are lots of solutions to foot drop. The most basic is the ‘foot-up’ device that Alun gave the link to (you may get your physio to get you one of these or you can buy them for about £50). Also there are a variety of orthotic devices available. Often called Ankle Foot Orthoses or AFOs. These are devices that hold your foot in the correct position so that it’s fixed. Both solutions work, so long as you can pick up your foot properly off the floor (i.e. the hip and the knee are giving the right nerve signals). You should be able to get a referral to your local NHS orthotics department, which is probably situated within your hospital. Also, there a custom made option called a SAFO (moulded to your foot and made of silicon) which is not available on the NHS and costs a few hundred pounds.
The best option is Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) device. This uses electrodes stuck on your leg under the knee and attached to a box which sends a signal, either wired or wireless, to a device that makes your foot pick up, and also controls the speed with which it hits the floor. There are several companies that make different versions. FES is sometimes available on the NHS, it all depends on your local NHS service as to whether they’ll fund it. Yup, postcode lottery time.
I’ve used them all. I can only walk a little bit and that together with a walker and an FES which I’ve had to self fund as my local CCG won’t fund it.
Sue