Foot Drop Treatment
Foot Drop Treatment
What is foot drop?
Foot drop, which can also be referred to as drop foot, is a condition in which it is difficult to lift the front part of the foot. As a result, the forefoot and toes tend to catch or drag on the floor when walking increasing the risk of falls or stumbles. It can be temporary or permanent and most commonly affects one side only.
Foot drop usually affects just one foot. However, it can affect both sides, either equally or to different degrees. There are several grades of foot drop. These are measured using the oxford scale 0 to 5 depending on the strength and movement in the muscles which lift the foot. 5 is normal strength and 0 is total paralysis.
Foot drop causes an abnormal walking pattern (gait), which is caused by the front half of the foot dropping downwards during walking causing a ‘foot slap’.
The gait in foot drop may involve:
- The forefoot initiating initial contact during gait known as a foot slap.
- ‘Hitching’ – which is an attempt to lift the affected side higher to avoid catching of the toes on the ground.
- Walking on tip toes of sound side to help with balance.
Causes Of Foot Drop
The most common cause of foot drop is an injury to the nerves or muscles that control dorsi flexion of the foot and ankle (lift the foot up). This can be caused by things such a Sports Injuries, Peripheral Neuropathy, Hip or knee replacement surgery, or any kind of muscle weakness caused by Muscular dystrophy, MND, or Spinal muscular atrophy.
Treatment for Foot Drop
How foot drop is treated depends on the severity of muscle weakness and how long you have had the condition. Also, things such as an individual’s activity levels or goals must be considered.
The most common treatments include an orthotic device such as an AFO (ankle foot orthosis) or footwear to help hold the foot and ankle in position.
Foot Drop Splints
BPO Clinic offers many different solutions and types of orthoses to prevent foot drop. These range from standard of the shelf plastic AFO’s to carbon fibre hinged AFO’s incorporating the Fior & Gentz systems. We are the leading experts in carbon fibre manufacturing and tailor all bespoke orthotics to our patient’s needs.
We supply bespoke AFO options for drop foot including:
Solid Ankle | Semi Rigid | Posterior Leaf Spring | AFO for runners and extreme sports | Ground Reaction | Night Splints | Sulcus or Full Length Footplate | Hinged Ankle | PDE Strutts
All manufacturing is done in house as well as offering a clinical service and residential for patient’s travelling.
Find out more about the types of splints we offer below:
PDE
Dynamic, energy releasing PDE composite springs store energy during the gait cycle and return that energy at push-off. Our modular solutions make it easier to resolve hard-to-treat ankle and foot conditions.
- Comfortably complete daily tasks like grocery shopping and walking the dog.
- Keep up with your kids or grandkids.
- Get back to weekend hikes with friends or family.
- Participate in extreme sports.
- Get back to doing the activities you love.
PDE AFO’s supplied by BPO help patients regain their independence and freedom but most importantly reduce their pain. There are 9 different spring choices, clinically proven and incorporate a bespoke design that best suits our patient’s needs.
Silicone Ankle Foot Orthoses
A more cosmetic and comfortable alternative to traditional AFOs for foot drop
- Allows ‘normal’ ankle/foot action
- Improve balance and stride length whilst walking.
- Can be worn discretely with or without shoes
- Can be worn whilst swimming or showering
- Improved sensory feedback
- An affordable, comfortable, and attractive alternative to existing AFOs
The Silicone Ankle Foot Orthosis (SAFO) was designed to alleviate the symptoms of drop foot and research has shown this to be the case in many of the above conditions. An attractive and comfortable alternative to traditional rigid AFOs (Ankle Foot Orthoses), the SAFO will help improve your balance, correct your walking, stop you tripping and give you a newfound sense of confidence and freedom. The SAFO provides support down the front of your leg and onto the top of your foot. This helps lift your foot while your leg swings during walking. The silicone can be colour matched to improve cosmetics.
Bespoke Dynamic Carbon Fibre AFO
A Dynamic carbon fibre AFO used in cases of paralysis or muscle weakness compensates for the functional deviations resulting from the patient’s clinical picture. These include a paralysis of the plantar flexors or dorsiflexors. Orthotic joints by FIOR & GENTZ have adjustable and dynamic functional elements that allow the orthosis function to be adapted to the patient’s needs. If, for example, the plantar flexors are weak, the orthosis compensates for the missing safety when standing and walking. If the dorsiflexors are weak, the functional elements enable the patient, among other things, to walk without stumbling by lifting the forefoot during swing phase. If the plantarflexors are weak, the functional elements provide a ‘push off’ at late stance to reduce energy expenditure and improve gait.
The types of ankle joints can also be supplied as fully waterproof.