Drop foot or foot drop -- the two terms are interchangeable-- is the condition in which you cannot lift up your forefoot. The front half of your foot may be damaged from either a muscular or nervous system injury, making walking and holding your foot and ankle in an upright position difficult. Exercises, under the supervision of a physical therapist, may help you walk more easily.
Strengthening
Strengthening exercises for your legs and core muscles may be beneficial to drop foot. One of the possible causes of foot drop is nerve impingement stemming from a damaged disk in your spine. Core strengthening exercises that involve your back and stomach muscles can take the pressure off of the nerve that causes your symptoms. Bridges are a classic core strengthening exercise often used to relieve lower back pain and sciatica; this spine stabilization exercises may also help foot drop. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Tighten your stomach muscles and lift your hips up several inches off the floor. Hold the position for three seconds and release.
Ankle strengthening may also improve drop foot symptoms that are caused by muscle weakness and damage. If you cannot hold your foot in the proper position for ankle exercises, a foot-ankle orthosis may be worn to keep your foot in the right position. Place the length of your foot against a couch or other piece of heavy furniture that will not move as you exercise. Press your foot against the couch and hold for 10 seconds.
Range of Motion
Range of motion exercises for your ankle and knee help maintain your flexibility and mobility when you are suffering from drop foot symptoms. The abnormal position of your foot can create an unusual gait that puts pressure on your joints, leading to pain and stiffness. Ankle rotations and flexion as well as knee bends can keep your joints fluid as you undergo physical therapy to improve your function.
Gait Training
Gait training is essential teaching you how to walk with foot drop. You most likely will use a foot-ankle orthosis, a type of brace, to reposition your foot and to help you walk without sustaining overuse and strain injuries to your hip, knee or ankle. Gait training exercises is approached according to your specific cause of drop foot, and you may participate in this form of physical therapy up to four times weekly to achieve results. Electric stimulation of the muscles may also play a role in gait training and other exercise therapy if your muscles are too weak for you to actively exercise.
Considerations
Drop foot exercises can improve your mobility in some cases, but the underlying cause of the condition might not always be resolved. Sometimes foot drop is a permanent condition that physical therapy alone cannot treat. Surgery to repair the damaged muscles, tendons and nerves may be required to reduce the severity of the impairment.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Foot Drop
- Spine Universe; Drop Foot (Foot Drop) and Steppage Gait (Footdrop Gait); Stewart J. Eidelson and Susan Spinasanta; 2010
- Physical Therapy Products; Best Foot Forward; Renee Delulio; August 2007
- American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society: Ankle Sprain Strengthening Exercises
- Mayo Clinic: Core Exercises
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