Today’s blog post was written by Anthony L. Lucas from The Jernigan Law Firm in North Carolina. I think that consumers and those who have loved ones with this condition will find this information useful. Just like in a previous blog post that Mr. Lucas wrote, it is helpful to have more details about a medical concern, so a person can have the knowledge to ask questions for greater understanding of a person’s individual situation.
Though each case’s details are different, in general, if foot drop is a result of you or your loved one’s work-related injury, it is more than likely covered by a state’s workers’ compensation laws. There are some exceptions in Nebraska, so please contact a lawyer who is familiar with your state’s workers’ compensation system for more information and with your specific details.
Foot drop describes the inability of a person to lift his or her foot at the ankle due to weakness or paralysis of the muscles that lift the foot. Foot drop can be caused by several things including: an injury to the spinal cord, an injury to the nerve that controls the muscles involved in lifting the foot during hip or knee replacement surgery or during intramuscular injections, ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, or muscular dystrophy.
Symptoms of foot drop include dragging your foot on the floor when you walk, walking like you are climbing stairs to prevent your foot from dragging, and numbness on the top of your foot and toes. Treatment options depend on the cause and severity of a person’s drop foot and include orthotics such as braces or foot splints, physical therapy, or surgery including decompression, nerve sutures, nerve grafting, nerve transfer, or tendon transfer.
Depending on the cause of a person’s foot drop, it may not be a lifelong disability. If the underlying cause is trauma or nerve damage it is possible for a person’s foot drop to improve or go away completely; however, if the underlying cause is a progressive neurological disorder, foot drop will likely continue as a lifelong disability.
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