Foot drop is a very common condition caused by stroke. I don’t have it, somehow I lucked out and don’t have any strength issues, just severe lack of coordination. You may have heard foot drop or drop foot or foot slap. Foot slap is maybe a little different but they all involve weakness of the same muscle. This muscle is called the tibialis anterior. Lift your foot up, feel on the front of your lower leg the part that gets hard, pops out/ moves. That’s your tibialis anterior. This muscle is responsible for an action called dorsiflexion. Dorsiflexion is lifting the foot, bringing the toes closer to the shin. When this muscle isn’t working right, that action doesn’t happen and your foot drags. The foot isn’t being lifted up properly. Strokes cause this a lot. This is the reason someone will get an AFO(ankle foot orthotic). An AFO is something you wear on your lower leg and it keeps the foot lifted at all times. This makes it easier to walk. A tip – a PT will say you need an AFO and think they’ve fixed the problem. Now you can walk – success! Not so much to a stroke survivor. Whenever you’re wearing that AFO, it’s doing the work for you. I would wear it to walk outside for safety’s sake and less embarrassment but as soon as you get home, take it off and try to do everything yourself. AFO
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- New device helps stroke patients suffering from ‘foot drop’ (thehandiestone.typepad.com)
Categories: Rehab, Stroke stuff
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