Broken Bones Part III

 FRIDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER 2023. 10:00 AM

Hi there! I really hope that everything is okay. 💖

Today, I will explain to you more about "foot drop" (a medical condition I was diagnosed with ten years ago), but to understand this condition we have to study the anatomy and physiology of lower limbs. Do not worry if you have never studied the anatomy of the human body because I will try to explain it as clearly as possible. Let's first take a look at a picture of this condition so that you can have a better idea of it. 😌

Before we go deeper into the explanation, I want you to move your ankle up and down, inwards and outwards. It was really easy, wasn't it? Well, let me tell you, I've been trying to make those moves for over ten years, and I still can't make them. 😑 Why? Let me explain to you more about it. 

What is a foot drop?

Patients with a foot drop cannot lift their forefoot, and they usually drag their foot along the ground which can make them trip or fall easily. Moreover, they cannot perform dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, eversion, or inversion of the ankle. 

What are the causes?

There are many causes of this medical condition such as nerve damage (peroneal nerve damage), spinal cord injuries, or muscle disorders (muscular dystrophy). In my case, I injured my spinal cord causing damage to the peroneal nerve (a branch of the sciatic nerve divided into peroneal and tibial nerves) which is one of the most important nerves of the lower extremities because it allows motor and sensory function to the lower leg. This nerve is responsible for the movement of the ankle (dorsiflexion and eversion), foot, and toes. 

How is it diagnosed?

There are many ways of diagnosing this condition including physical and neurological examination, imaging studies (X-rays or magnetic resonance imaging), or Electromyography (EMG). I got all these examinations. The orthopedic surgeon carried out a complete physical examination of my leg, and he also made me have an EMG done, which is a test for assessing nerve function and muscle activity. The EMG that I have done showed an absence of motor activity in the left peroneus longus and tibialis anterior muscles. 😖

What is the treatment?

The most common treatment for treating a foot drop is physical therapy which tries not only to strengthen the muscles that were affected by the injury but also to recover their range of motion. After that, we have the use of an AFO (Ankle Foot Orthosis) which is a brace that helps the patient to walk without dragging their foot. Finally, this condition can be treated by surgical procedures. I recently realized that there is a surgery called "tendon transfer" that could help patients who have a foot drop. This surgery consists of replacing the affected tendon with a healthy one that could restore the dorsiflexion of the ankle.  

To sum it up, a foot drop is an inability to lift the forefoot, often resulting in the dragging of the foot along the ground. Besides that, the causes of foot drop vary, encompassing nerve damage, spinal cord injuries, and muscle disorders. Furthermore, diagnosing foot drops involves a combination of physical and neurological examinations. Finally, treatment options include physical therapy, Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO), and surgical interventions.

I am sorry for using medical terminology, but I had to use it in order to explain this condition. Believe me, I have learned these terms throughout all the years that I have spent in the orthopedic area, so whenever I get an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon, I can easily explain my condition using the appropriate terminology. 😅

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING. THIS WAS THE LAST POST OF THE SERIES "BROKEN BONES" I REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOYED MY POST AS MUCH AS I DID WRITING IT. I REALLY LOVE TALKING, DISCUSSING, AND WRITING ABOUT MEDICINE. I AM REALLY INTO MEDICINE (SPECIALLY ORTHOPEDICS). 💖