special subjects
Rehabilitation for Other Disorders
Foot drop
Differential diagnosis of foot drop includes common peroneal nerve (fibular) neuropathy, diffuse peripheral polyneuropathy (eg, caused by diabetes), L4 and/or L5 radiculopathy, tumor, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and other causes. Patients may present with weakness of ankle dorsiflexors, ankle evertors, and/or toe extensors, as well as possible foot slap and steppage gait (compensatory excessive hip and knee flexion). Treatment of foot drop includes treatment of the underlying cause when possible; training in the use of ankle-foot orthosis (AFO); strengthening of weak ankle dorsiflexors, ankle evertors, and/or toe extensors; stretching of ankle plantar flexors; and gait training. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is currently used in patients with multiple sclerosis to produce fibular nerve stimulation during the gait swing phase to help with foot clearance. 