If you have received extended bed rest, one of the downsides and concerns to watch out for is foot drop, which can happen when you spend too much time in bed. Understanding foot drop, the risks, and possible causes can help you better avoid them and also make it easier to identify and seek proper intervention on time.

What is a Foot Drop?

A foot drop or drop foot is a condition where you can’t raise the front part of your foot due to muscle weakness, nerve damage or paralysis of the muscles that lift this part of the foot. If you have a drop foot, the most common symptom is dragging your toes when you walk because of weakness or paralysis of specific muscles in your foot.

The condition is treatable in most cases, but not in all cases, depending on the cause. Drop foot can affect one or both of your feet, and the causes for the condition vary.

Possible Causes of Foot Drop

Foot drop can result from several causes that affect or present an issue with your nerves and/or muscles. The most common causes are lumbar radiculopathy and peroneal nerve injury.

Other causes that may contribute to foot drop include:

  • Brain conditions
  • Peripheral neuropathies
  • Motor neuron conditions
  • Muscle conditions

Lumbar Radiculopathy

Radiculopathy is when one of your nerve roots is compressed or irritated. Lumbar radiculopathy is when the pinched nerve is in your lower back. This is the nerve that starts around the lower back and extends down your legs and feet.

Among the five bones in your lower back (L1–L5), L5 radiculopathy is the most common cause of foot drop. This happens because of the narrowing of the space where the nerve roots exit your spine. This can be caused by various conditions, including bone spurs and herniated disks, and also by spending too much time in bed.

Peroneal Nerve Injury

Another common reason for foot drop is an injury to the peroneal nerve, a peripheral nerve that extends down your leg. It supplies movement and sensation to your lower leg, feet, and toes.

Several things can damage your common peroneal nerve and cause foot drop, including traumatic injury to the knee, leg, or ankle. These injuries include ankle fractures, knee fractures, and knee dislocations.

Other causes of foot drop include brain conditions such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, cerebral palsy, and Parkinson’s disease. Some motor neuron conditions, such as polio and spinal muscular atrophy, can also cause foot drop.

Risks of Extended Bed Rest in Foot Drop

If you’ve been put on extended bed rest, foot drop in bed is a common concern and one of the factors that leads to foot drop.

This is due to the constant pull of gravity, which stretches out the front part of the lower leg where it attaches to the foot. This exerts strain on muscles and nerves, which in turn results in weakness and foot drop.

You can mitigate the risks of getting foot drop as a result of complications of extended bed rest by exercising and stretching to keep the muscles and nerves in proper shape. You can also wear a padded splint to help mitigate the condition.

Other Treatments of Foot Drop

The ideal treatment for foot drop will depend on what is causing it. Treating the cause will also fix foot drop. If the cause is a chronic condition, sometimes the foot drop may also be permanent.

Some of the treatment options available even for foot drop caused by extended bed rest include the following:

  • Physical and occupational therapy to help stretch and strengthen the muscles and help you walk better. This is particularly essential in cases of extended bed rest.
  • Braces, splints, and orthotic shoe inserts can help support your ankle and foot and keep them in a more natural position.

In extreme cases, some people need surgery to relieve pressure on the peroneal nerve or to repair it to alleviate the condition.

With surgery, a surgeon can transfer a tendon from your other leg to the muscle in your affected leg to help it pull your foot up if the tendon in the affected foot is damaged.

Can Drop Foot Fix Itself?

Sometimes, drop foot can fix itself if the underlying condition is temporary, such as nerve inflammation or minor nerve damage from compression from staying in bed for too long, once the nerve heals.

However, in other cases, it may require treatment for it to go away. However, for people who have an underlying chronic condition, the foot drop is usually permanent. The best way to know how to proceed with your foot drop is to see your healthcare provider for a proper diagnosis. This will help you understand the cause of the condition. If you have been put on extended bed rest, it’s important to bring this up with the doctor because it is one of the common causes of drop foot.

Can Adaptive Shoes Help With Drop Foot?

Once you complete your bed rest and begin working towards rehabilitation, adaptive shoes are one tool you can use to help you recover from foot drop. Patients with foot drop can benefit from wearing shoes that make it easier to maintain natural gait and walk safely and efficiently acros