Foot Drop After Back or Spine Surgery

Foot drop can be a common complication of back or spine surgery. According to this paper, up to 8.8% of patients may experience foot drop after lumbar disc surgery. 

This post will explain how back or spine surgery can lead to the development of foot drop, as well as offer some recommendations for what you can do if you experience foot drop after back surgery.

Let’s start with the basics and explain what foot drop is. This condition is one where you have a difficult time lifting the front part of your foot. It produces an unnatural, dragging gait. 

Foot drop is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and may have more than one potential cause. Sometimes the underlying problem is muscular. Other times, it is with nerves or other aspects of a patient’s anatomy. Foot drop can sometimes be reversed, but other times is lifelong.

Why does back or spine surgery sometimes lead to foot drop as a complication? Let’s go over some explanations.

Surgery is sometimes performed to try and decompress nerves that are already compressed. But occasionally, a nerve might end up being compressed or damaged during surgery. If that happens, you might develop nerve damage that could result in foot drop. 

In some cases, that nerve damage might gradually heal, or the compression may stop once swollen tissues have a chance to recover.

In others, however, the compression or injury could be long-term in nature, resulting in long term foot drop as well.

Before your surgery, your doctor will discuss this and other possible risks and complications with you so you can make an informed decision.

Some patients can develop neurological complications after a surgery, particularly older patients. Those neurological complications may increase the chances of experiencing foot drop and other symptoms. 

In addition, going into a surgery with certain existing health conditions can increase the risk for complications, including foot drop. It is important to be aware of these heightened risks.

Stroke can cause foot drop in up to 20-30% of patients. So, for those who experience stroke, there is a strong chance of having a hard time lifting the feet while walking afterwards.

Patients with certain neurological conditions can also be more prone to post-surgical complications than the general population. This is common among patients with cerebral palsy, for example. Learn more about walking with CP.

It is relatively rare for a patient to develop neuropathy as a result of a surgery. But when it happens, the outcome can be severe, and sometimes permanent. 

Peripheral neuropathy is a type of neuropathy that affects the legs and feet, which can cause foot drop.

Diabetes is another condition that can increase your chances of developing complications from a surgery on your back or spine. 

Please note that the conditions we discussed above are not an exhaustive list of those that should be considered with relation to back surgery. Talk to your doctor about your risks. Be sure to disclose all of your health conditions and medications during the conversation.

If you are having a hard time lifting the front of your foot when you walk after surgery, that might mean you have developed foot drop. Check if your feet are dragging while you walk, or if you are experiencing weakness or numbness. Sometimes your toes may curl as well. 

If you are not sure whether you are experiencing foot drop or not, you can always contact your doctor to describe your symptoms. This is a wise move anyway, so you can get their personalized recommendations.

If you are having a hard time lifting the fronts of your feet, walking can become challenging. You may be uncomfortable as your feet drag along the ground. In addition, this type of gait is dangerous, because it is easy to trip and fall when you cannot reliably clear obstacles by lifting your feet completely off the ground. 

Nevertheless, it is important to keep walking when you have foot drop, whether it is from a surgery, or from MS or another condition.

Walking with foot drop gives you a way to improve your gait over time and increase your range of motion. Plus, it can help you to stay healthy and speed up your overall recovery from your surgery.

So, how can you get back to walking when you have foot drop? One of the biggest steps you can take (pun intended) is to purchase the right kind of footwear.

There are actually shoes that have been especially designed for patients with foot drop. An example is the Cadense Original Adaptive Shoes for men and women featuring patented variable friction technology. 

This technology helps the wearer to “glide” over uneven surfaces, even if they have foot drop. So, even though lifting the front of your feet fully may not be possible for you yet, you are more likely to be able to walk smoothly and safely over obstacles without tripping and falling. 

While the patented variable friction technology is the main feature of Cadense Original Adaptive Shoes that makes them ideal for patients with foot drop, these shoes boast other features that also benefit people with foot drop.

• The shoes feature a wide base, which contributes to increased stability while you are walking.

• The enhanced depth of the shoes gives you room for a custom insert if you need extra support.

• There is plenty of cushioning and support even without adding an insert. The shoes have a snug fit, but are not too tight, preventing circulation problems or discomfort while walking. 

• Putting on the shoes and taking them off is fast and easy.

• The stylish design of Cadense Original Adaptive Shoes ensures that you will want to keep wearing them long after you have recovered from foot drop. 

Since these shoes were created by specialists, great attention to detail has gone into every aspect of their design.