Foot Drop

Everyday living
1

Hi all

I am a 51 year old man and have primary/secondary progressive MS (two diagnoses from different consultants). I was diagnosed in 2009 and over the past four years have developed fairly significant foot drop in my right leg. I have recently been fitted with a splint to keep my right ankle rigid at a right angle. This helps but I’m having difficulty finding footwear which is relatively easy to put on and wear because of the splint. This is partly due to the increased size required to accomodate the splint and partly due to the small heel on the spint.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to face this issue and I’d be very grateful for any experience/advice people may have.

Thanks

Sean

2

You may get a lot of advice on this one, Sean, but the options are rather few.

A thing called the Foot-up is good for shoes that lace up (if you have shoes with a lot of lace-holes). It works for some, but I dumped the one the Orthotist gave me within two days.

The MusMate is a sort of strap that links your toe to your belt. Some people find them very effective, but the appearance put me off.

The FES is an electronic nerve/muscle stimulator that you can get on the NHS. There are some stuck-on electrodes, and some wires running down your leg. If you wear shorts, this could look a bit odd, but you can wear it with a wide range of shoes.

You can Google all of these, and make your own mind up. Personally, I could not function without my FES - even just moving around the house.

Geoff

3

I am not a big fan of traditional splints, as the muscles just waste if not used. Take a look at this recent thread for comments about the remarkable fes.

http://www.mssociety.org.uk/forum/everyday-living/drop-foot-2

4

You might also scroll down a bit (on page 2 at the moment) because someone else was asking about footdrop yesterday. Geoff has summed up the options put forward beautifully but you might want to read other people’s opinions.