[B]Hi Carolyn

There is no quick cure for drop foot only because of your nerve damage. My husband had to be taught in therapy to remember to lift his feet when walking and drop foot stayed with him through the years. Maybe someone else has an answer for you but just remember there is no cure.So many of the people here have to wear AFO’s for years. [/B]

Carolyn,

Donna is right. There is no quick cure. I have now been advised to get a second AFO. They custom make them to fit your leg/ankle/foot. I admit I dont wear the one I have really but I do keep it for when I might need it.

I went to PT to try to strengthen my ankles to help get them back and it didnt work. My dr thinks mine are permanently damaged and it started in the left and now affects the right almost as bad. However, I dont have severe drop foot…I can lift my ankles a tiny bit without a shoe on…on a good day. With tennies, I waddle my way. The more I walk, the more fatigued my foot/leg/ankle gets, the harder it is to lift.

Wear a good supportive tennis shoe..that really helps me. I also use a cane for distance without a grocery cart available.

dont give up tho…continue to try using your muscles in the ankle…

good luck.

Stacey

Carolyn,

Over the years I have had great success with over-the-counter lace-up ankle supports. You can find them in your local pharmacy or sporting goods store. There are various brands and varitaions running from around $15 to $30 per foot.

I used to have ACE brand in a nice white rubber-coated canvas with red lining. I have recently replaced those with stylish black ones from McDavid. I have used them for everything from Bowling to Tae Kwon Do.

Best of luck,

Tom

I don’t have the foot drop but have a weird looking toes. One of my toes sticks up all the time looking like it got broke in too! I know it has something to do wiith muscle damage. But have no idea how to fix that either!

I don’t know about getting foot drop later on, as I got mine almost right away after I developed CIDP; within a matter of weeks. After 4 1/2 years it is not any better, so I wear AFOs to walk, all of the time. I do have hightopped boots that I can wear around the house, but they don’t give me nearly the supposrt that my braces do…

tammie,

the nerves that let you walk normally, heel to toe, are damaged & cause your foot to sorta flop down. it is important to try to walk normally no matter how bad the result is. keep practicing to do it right. once the gbs attack is over no new nerve damage will appear including foot drop. cidp is another matter, the attack can be ongoing. take care. be well.

gene gbs 8-99
in numbers there is strength

Tammie,

I’ve also heard that the nerves which are affected by drop foot are the slowest to come back. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s interesting.

Shannon

Hi,

There are two ways to get footdrop going. Any patient flat on their back for a period of time, regardless of disease, will be succeptable to footdrop. Why boots are put on a patient. This keeps the heel tendon from loseing elasticity and freezing the range one has. When a person goes to sleep, the natural position a foot takes is to drop down. Without boots or therapy, this occurance usually requires surgery to correct it.
The other is loss of nerves in that area, like mentioned above, so no control over it can be had. Time is the healer but dependence has to be challenged all the time to get out of them.

After 6 years Frank’s drop foot never improved, he was taught how to lift his
feet in physical therapy and also wore made to order braces (AFOS).

His drop foot appeared immediatly on developing GBS/CIDP.