Life With Drop Foot

I don't know what tnr is, but I have foot drop also from a hip injury were my nerve was stretched. I was told also after my surgery that nothing could be done and that if any healing of the nerve would happen in 2years and then that would be it. It never got any better but I did find a place on the web that could do some repair, but after I contacted them I was told that I had waited to long. Unfortunately, I am stuck with this and have learned to live with it. I never got much physical therapy on this and never really any instruction on it so I have been pretty much winging it on what to do to make it easier. I am always looking at different styles of bracing ect.. To be honest I didn't even know the name of the condition I had or how common it is. I had just happened to go get my medical files from the accident and when reading them I found the term foot drop used a few times so I googled it.

Jkg
thank you for your reply. I have spent a lot of time on the internet after my drop foot...Sometimes I think I have spent too much time on line. But I feel I have to keep searching for answer and new ideas.
My drop foot was a result of total knee replacement.. Sounds like your was from an accident.
I was told..To late..That after 2 months something should have been done to release the nerve from its intrapment. The neurosurgeon thought there might have been a chance to save the nerve but too much time had passsed and now 1 yr after the surgery on the nerve there has been no improvement.
If you don't mind can you tell me how old you are...Do you continue to work...Do you still have lots of pain....Can you drive a car...Have you had an swelling in the leg since the injury..I know I am asking a lot of question...But in all my study of the condition and what to do...I have not been able to find another person with the problem and to share how you are dealing with it.
Have to tried a brace..Or the dorsi strap and if so have they helped.
I look forward to hearing from you again. Thank you

Yes, my injury was due to an accident. It was similar to an injury caused by a car dash when the leg is pushed back breaking out the pelvic at the socket. I was not in a car, but was in a sitting position and my leg was hit and pushed the leg back and broke out my pelvic and stretched the nerve. Surgery was done and 2 plates and a spring plate was installed to hold things together. I had a great deal of pain and swelling in my foot after this. There was some confusion as to were I lived and the Dr. Had not given me enough neurotin to last and I ran out. Not realizing how important this stuff was, I was without it for a couple days. The foot became extremely painful and any touch would create a severe burning, prickling sensation. I did not sleep for 60 hours. After getting the medication straightened out, it was a great relief. After a month the swelling started to subside and I was soon able to put a shoe on. I am a little hardheaded and worked with my leg and foot myself and weaned myself off the medication, but this was only after I was told after a few calls that nothing could be done about the nerve damage. I would start physical therapy and that would be it other than the follow ups. At the 6 month check up, I was told I was ok other than the nerve damage. I will say that I did jump the gun on using my leg and was full weight bearing in 3-4 months which the Dr. Was not happy about. Guess I got lucky. I do not mind any questions concerning the injury, but I may not say anymore about the accident. I am in my mid forties and at the moment I am unemployed. I am not sure if that is due more to the injury or mid-life crisis. I do know that I am looking for a career change and the footdrop is a very big concern. I was an automobile mechanic. The hip and footdrop does cause some problems in this area. Mainly with the climbing up onto the tall vehicles ect.. If I was only working undercar or on low vehicles under hood I don't believe I would have any problems. But can't have everything. My left hip/foot is the one that is injured and after a year I was still having alot of trouble getting in and out of the little cramped cars and using the clutch pedals on test drives. It did get to the point that the in and out of cars started creating sharp pains in my hip and I had to leave the job. I did work on my own after that but at a pace I could endure and jobs I could pick but that didn't last long. I don't know if it had been my right foot if I could still operate a gas pedal and brake, but there are ways around that. I do try to stay positive about my condition and sometimes I can even laugh at myself for the way I walk. Things could have turned out alot worse and I am grateful that it wasn't any worse. You of course may not feel this way considering you went in for a surgery to repair something else and came out with this. I don't recall if you had mentioned your age or not but if you are young I can fully understand. If you have not already looked there is a new forum started by a Dr. Nath that has a general foot drop section. This is the Dr. I had contacted through e-mail about my condition and whether the rewiring ( mechanic talk for nerve transfering ) would work for me. They did return my call quickly and explained that there would not be any chance of success if it was past the 1yr deadline from the date of the injury. I was told that orthopedics might be able to transfer a tendon or something like that, but I don't know that i'm interested in that till I hear someone that has been through it tell me otherwise. One of my concerns has been with the blood circulation problem. Although it is a new forum http://www.D rnathbrachialplexus.Com/forum/index.Php , there has been a couple posts about their toes loosing circulation. Don't know their ages but this is a concern of mine considering I do sometimes have a very cold foot. As far as bracing goes my favorite has been the white canvas ankle brace and sometimes if I want to take the time, I will take the shoe string and run it through the bottom holes of my shoe to help hold my foot up. But this is why i'm here looking for different options. This post is getting way too long. It's nice to hear from someone else with my problem. I get deaf ears when I try to discuss it with others. Don't know if this helps any.

Thank you for sharing your information with me. Like you I get deaf ears when I try to talk with others with the condition. This is what I have found out regarding drop foot ..The nerve is insured or compressed and from that time you are working with a short stick. My neurosurgeon said if there was no improvement... Exploratory surgery should have been done in 2-3 months. Once cause is corrected either by re-wiring or with a transplant of the nerve from another part of body...Lower foot...The start of healing is successful. The problem is your sciatic nerve was damaged at hip or mine at the knee....The nerve heals at a very slow rate...And that is not just the repaired portion...The nerve has to heal from site of injury to the toes...And the nerve will only rejuvinate its self at approx. 1/4 inch a month. While this is happening you have the muscel in what ever portion of your leg...Hip or knee...That is dying....Wala one year to heal. I hope I have not total confused you..As I am trying to make this short.
When I was in therphy for the knee surgery they had someone come in and size me for a brace. They took a mold of my leg and made this. Even as I complain about it ...It has been the best I have tried. The problem is it is large going from the knee all the way on the bottom of the foot..Ending at the toes....Also it was hinged at the ankle. It was great but bulky..Requiring me to wear a bigger shoe.
I walk best with my bare feet...But in shoes I have to have a cane. The problem being all I have read about breaking my ankle. I am concerned about the circulation..But have not had a doctor concerned with the problem. I have read some stories of conditions that can happen later...And I am concerned about them and those I have not read yet.
I was on neurontin and took myself off ...As I could not feel any reduction in pain and they make me want to sleep all the time. I to am tring to find someway to walk better...I have been throwing my foot...Which I call my dead fish...To the right...But I am wondering if I should be throwing it forward. I am very concerned about falling as I can manage to trip over my own toes..Not to mention uneven surfaces outside....I find walking on grass the most dangerous. Thanks for listening to me...It helps knowing you have the same problem.
I did go to the site you mentioned. I also contacted Dr. Nath. I wish there were more places to go and get information.

Jolo, I sent you a pm

I myself have foot drop. I am 38 and went in for a hip replacement and came out of surgery with a broke femur and drop foot. i hate the way I walk and I use to love my job. Now, I hate my job I am embarrassed and am down on my self. I go to therapy three times a week, but it doesn't help the tinggling...

I just spoke w/ my sister today. She had TKR surgery on Monday, and discovered yesterday that she has footdrop. This is awful- she went in to have the knee repaired due to a car wreck several years ago, and was really expecting to come out of this able to move more athletically.
I'd like to learn as much as I can about this. I think I understand from the earlier post that investigating it thoroughly w/in the 1st 2 months is important (?)
Also- she is very overweight- something which really got worse since the accident slowed her down. (She in 61) How much bearing might that have upon this problem? How will footdrop affect her postoperative PT? (She does have a really good PT friend who will be working w/ her) Is this likely to clear up spontaneously, once the PO swelling goes down?

Fellow Drop Foot Patients
I have had drop foot as a result of back surgery for 6 years. I noticed that some of you are wearing either orthotics - a whilte plastic kind of "brace" and others are supporting their foot with some sort of ankle or foot support. Ovewr the last 6 years, I have tried everything mentioned. Recently my doctor arranged for a NEW kind of orthotic that was made of carbon fibre material. It is so light that I barely know that I am wearing it.

Also there is something new on the market called walk aid. The device has only been abailable for less than 2 years. Its not an implant. Its a device that stimulates the nerve to make your foot rise normally as it once did pre foot drop. You can google walk aid and read about it. Hope this helps.

As a matter of fact I am going for a Walk Aid evaluation this week.

Well it looks like Iam not alone, I had a minidiscectomy and a fusion l5-s1 and woke up with drop foot like all of you the pain is a real drag along with the foot.
Iam taking lyrica for the nerve pain but the tingling and pain under my toes makes it hard to sleep, I get funny feelings in my calf some times I swear some one threw water drops on my calf and my toes feel like they are sticking out of a tin can and Iam wraping them over the edge of the can.
It has been almost three months since the surgery and very little change, I had a second opinion and all doctors feel that the nerve was retracted too hard at l3-4.
I was a car inspector for the railroad and would walk 6 to 10 miles a day but not anymore it looks like Iam on the retirement board at 59 at least I have my retirement but it is half of my regular pay so it looks like the house will be up for sale I cant keep with the pay reduction, well there is always good scotch and 10 dollar cigars for comfort best of luck to you all, by the way I guess Iam lucky my foot hangs in a nutural position level I can push it down I just cant raise it past level or raise any of my toes.

on march of 07 , i took methadone and a xanax bar and went into a coma , my little brother found me and called 911 .2 days later i woke up in the hospitail and the first thing i noticed i couldnt feel my right foot or move it does any body know if this is permanent . i got feeling back in my right caf musle from worken out on the bike is there any thing i can do to get back the feeling in my foot ... thanks