Hello everyone,

I was recently diagnosed with foot drop due to stretching of my sciatic nerve.....I had an emg today, which was extremely painful. I am unable to move my foot due to the paralysis.....it has affected me greatly especially since I am unable to work right now....being a waitress and having foot drop do not go well together. I am beyond frustrated, angry, and feel completely hopeless about everything. The doctor told me to get an AFO.....I am curious to find out how much improvement there will be in walking once I get that.....am I going to be able to return to working once I get the hang of walking with the afo on? Should I be concerned that I will never regain movement in my foot? The doctor that did the emg today wants to see me again in a month for another emg. At this point I am looking for anyone out there that can give me some encouragement about my situation and tell me whether I can look forward to some sort of normalcy once I get the AFO, as well as whether I am being pessimistic in thinking that I will not be able to walk normally again. Thanks to anyone who reads this and is willing to post comments!
Thanks again!

Sorry you're having this problem. Foot drop can be serious.

A few thoughts...

Have you thought about signing up on SS? Just because they hold back -- I forgot how many months, thinking the first 6 you will never get paid for, and it takes 2 years for Medicare to kick in, or when a judge deems you medically disabled.

Depending on the Dx, there could be a number of treatment options. injections, therapies, LED and infrared lights -- if it's neuropathy related, The Neuropathy Centers of America advocate the lights. They've helped me tremendously. I'm even trying to start a business with them. I can distribute but still gathering infor. I do believe they can help a lot of things that doctors seemingly can't.

There is no substitute for good health. Using aids and devices are a Godsent when needed, but it's not like not needing them. Be careful as your body will take time to adjust to the awkwardness of "artificial" things. It could cause you to fall and injure something else.

I admire your work ethics. We share the same passion; in that, I want to work as long as I can. It's not popular, though...

and... I wasn't born rich, didn't marry rich, and stand to inherit very little. So therefore, I must work. Work is good therapy. I think we need to find a happy balance.

I don't know your age. Sometimes we heal slower if we're not young.

Hope you find a fix.

Hi Kimbie and welcome to NeuroTalk. I know several people on the MS Forum who have used an AFO. Foot drop is very common with MS. You might try posting there. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time right now. I hope you can find some help and answers here.

Hello Kimbie, and welcome to NeuroTalk! This is such a nice place with lots of friendly and helpful people.

We're so glad you found us!

I have footdrop at times, and I bought a titanium brace that sits under the foot and goes up the back of the leg, held with a velcro strap. I wore it for awhile, but it was irritating my leg and me too much, so now it sits in the back of my closet. I wouldn't recommend something like that to you, although there are people on the board who use them and do just fine.

Broken Wings had some good ideas. And, posting in the MS forum is a great idea.

Best of luck to you in finding something that helps.

Hello Kimbie and Welcome to NT!!

I've had a mild foot drop once due to RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy).

While seeking treatment with a Chiropractor/Acupuncturist he was able to adjust my foot and ankle joints as well as using acupuncture points... my foot drop has now gone.

There was also another patient with moderate/severe foot drop... she wore a fiberglass cushioned brace. I don't know how often she was seeing the Chiro/Acu doc but I remember seeing her about 8 to 10 weeks later and she was without brace and her foot was no longer dropping.

I don't know if this would work for you but it may be worth checking into if you have a reputable Chiro in your area.

I sincerely wish you the best!

Abbie

Hi Kimbie
Im sorry to hear about your condition,,ive met a few people who've had it and it went away after the nerve could heal. You may want to try Metanx (vitamin) and acetyl-L-carnitine and vitamin C because they are good for nerve healing. May the Lord be with you and stay in prayer.
Bobber

Thank you for all your kind words and advice......I am having an EMG done on the 25th of this month, although I may end up having it done this week. After that, I go down to the doctors at the University of Penn to discuss my options.....I was told at my last appointment that there are surgery options for me, but we shall see. I finally got my AFO, and while it does help, it is going to take some time for me to be able to get back to what I do for a living, if I am ever able to go back to what I did before this happened at all! I am staying hopeful that there will be something that can be done....the depression can be quite overwhelming at times, but I am trying desperately to stay as positive as possible.

Again, thank you for all the advice.....I will check back all the time with updates!
Kimberley

Hi Kimbie,

I've been away for a while and I just saw your post about Foot Drop. I have the same probhlem in both feet and have been wearing Orthotics on both legs since 1989. They aren't the prettiest things but they keep me upright and mobile. I found that you have a whole new gait to get used to and sometimes my back would get quite sore but you get used to it.

Hope you have good luck with yours.

Sharon
Remember when we could do this????

I don't have foot drop [yet]. But I should have...early on [I have a very agressive Peripheral Neuropathy] I realized early on that physical therapy could/might/should help me regain some strength and flexibility and it did. After my first 'round' of PT I also realized that I should ASK docs for instructions to therapists that could give me 'tasks' that I could do at home. It helped immensely. Finding a good therapist is a matter of trial, error, communication and lots of luck! The latter I truly hope you have.
As for your muscles not flexing? Well, once locked it will take a lot of massage and trial and error to find the things that work. I am recovering from a major leg surgery rite now and find my ankle on that side wanting to 'lock up'! Just don't let it happen, some hurting will occur during PT but it shouldn't be blinding-if you get my drift.
Silly tho this seems? IF you can wiggle your toes? Keep wiggleing them! With a vengeance...IF you are still, and listen to your body, you can feel it all the way up past your knee. It is surprising how important your toes are to the overall aspects of what are, essentially, learning to walk all over again!
Don't overdo new things too much too fast tho...I have found that you will have to learn your own pace in doing even the simplist things. We are in an odd situation where 'no pain/no gain' does NOT apply. I admit that I have been lucky with therapists who HAVE been able to gently coax muscles into stretching and doing more than I thought possible....other therapists can be seemingly cruel and stay far away from them IF you can. In your case sounds like coaxing is a whole lot better than forcing.
Learn as much as you can about PT and if the one you have is truly trained and 'certified/licensed' and go from there. Keep us up to date, please.
Hugs and hope - j

Hi, I believe what I do with my foot is considered foot drop.

But I just never have named it. So I really sympathize.

I can say though one thing that helps my foot, is massages for
the whole leg.

By the way welcome, and realize that even if you are starting
to get a little depressed talking to us helps.

Donna