Symptoms of Drop Foot Syndrome

Do you drag the front of your foot on the ground when you walk? It may be one of the early symptoms of drop foot syndrome. It is not a disease in itself, but signals a kind of neurological, muscular or anatomical problem. It could be temporary or permanent. Read on to learn more about the more common symptoms of the drop foot syndrome.

Dragging Toes

When you suffer from drop foot, you may drag toes when walking as the syndrome makes it difficult to lift the front part of the foot due to injuries to the nerves that control the foot muscles. The affected nerves may be in the knee or in the lower spine. This can cause you to raise your thigh when you walk.

Tripping

You may often trip because of weakness in the muscles of the foot and toes as a result of improper conduction of impulse from the brain through the injured nerve. It is common to lose balance, stumble and fall which occurs because of the inability to properly lift the foot and toes while walking. Due to this, you may also find it difficult to hold footwear on when walking.

Numbness

A feeling of numbness in the skin on the top of your foot and toes is also one of the symptoms of drop foot syndrome. This sense of numbness or pain in some specific areas on the foot and leg happens due to the underlying compressed nerves. Loss of sensation may occur on the front and outer side of the lower leg and along the upper part of the foot.

Change in Gait

You may develop a habit of taking a high steppage gait by raising the thigh up in an exaggerated fashion, such as while climbing stairs. This gait helps to prevent the toes from scraping the floor while walking. Sometimes, you may swing your affected leg to the side in a semicircle to move forward to avoid falls or tripping.

Synergy Orthopedics has been a trusted partner to patients recovering from musculoskeletal injuries and surgeries. Serving patients in Eastern Pennsylvania, Hudson Valley NY, Maryland, Washington, DC, Delaware, and New Jersey since 2001,  offers the most advanced recovery care products, programs, protocols and technologies available on the market. To learn more about products that can help alleviate your symptoms of drop foot syndrome, contact Synergy Orthopedics.