Amputation for foot drop?

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jay123
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Amputation for foot drop?

Post by jay123 »

As I sit here with my sore back due to always dragging my foot around I have been wondering if I would be better off with an artificial foot!
I have the Bioness l300 which helps when I do have shoes on, but it doesn't totally work. I am just so tired of this foot always being in the way...
A few years ago as a friend was helping me get my leg into a boat she commented on why not cut it off so it is not i the way anymore! I laughed then, but her comment keeps coming back to me.

Anybody with thoughts on this?
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blossom
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by blossom »

whoa cowboy! a little over the edge. but, I can understand your frustration. then again i'm 20 plus yrs. fighting with these symptoms with not many body parts working as they should any more--and in the darkness I still hold on to that little ray of light of hope that something is gonna come along that will fix this mess. if a part is missing, it can not be fixed ever. you can still stand on it right? if you'd forget or couldn't get to your fake foot you'd have a hell of a time i'd think.
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jay123
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by jay123 »

No, I don't think over the edge. As I said I have been thinking of this for years. And I might be a cowboy, but you are def a dreamer if you think something in our lifetimes will 'fix this mess'! Our damage is permanent unless we those pesky stem cells do work for us someday.....
LOL, don't mean anything bad to you - but this isn't a spur of the moment thought, especially looking at the new prosthetics that have been developed!
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by DrGeoff »

Sounds a little over the edge to me as well, but you have not said what coping strategies you use as well.

In the house, my ideal is bare feet, because the bare foot slides over the carpet. Even just a sock will snag and try to trip me up. With shoes, I need a 3-wheel rollator as well.

I use an Odstock Medical Pace FES, and there is a problem in that if it is switched on, when it actuates the toe will come up, but the leg will go rigid. Getting into the left hand side of a car, I can get in with the right foot first and lift the left leg in; getting into the right-hand side I have a crude wooden step that lifts me up six inches so that I can swing the left leg in.

For me, it is about not getting beaten.

Geoff
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jay123
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by jay123 »

I agree with you about in the house, but unfortunately we have berber carpet, which my wife loves but I hate as it is very rough on my foot when I drag it. It's also a very long lasting carpet that I can't afford to rip out! When my foot gets sore from the carpet I wear a pair of moccasains that are all leather, i.e. no sole. They drag pretty good too, and they don't catch on things you might want to try a pair too.

It just seems like my foot is useless and just gets in the way, it's causing me back problems, my leg is in decent shape, I think I could almost walk normal if I wasn't dragging this thing around, I don't believe it will ever be 'cured' - shouldn't I consider it?
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by DrGeoff »

There is one quick way to see if your leg really is in decent shape.

Stand on your "bad" foot and try to raise your good knee up to your chin. Do this five times (or more, but five is enough).
Stand on your "good" foot and try to raise the other knee the same number of times.

If you can, it suggests that the gross motor control for your bad leg is still OK
If you can only lift it once or twice, and then only a little the next time, and then hardly at all, it suggests that you have more than just a dropped foot. If this is the case, then something as extreme as an amputation is not likely to be of any benefit.

Geoff
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jay123
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by jay123 »

thanks!
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by ElliotB »

There are numerous aids that can help you live with drop foot besides the one you have. If the Bioness is not working any more for you, get a different one.
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by David1949 »

I have the same problem with drop foot. The left foot doesn't just hang down. It points down hard. Its like having my foot nailed to the floor. I have also wondered if I would be better off if the front half of the foot was chopped off. But with my luck a cure for MS would be discovered the day after I did that. :roll: Anyway my orthotic foot brace helps quite a bit. I wear it during all of my wakeful hours.
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by THX1138 »

You might find this interesting:
When I used to walk more, I experienced moderate drag foot. Walking about two blocks I would experience probably a few dozen draggings of my foot on the ground.
The 2 block walk I took during my first obviously beneficial niacin flush was hugely improved over normal and my foot dragged only 1 or 2 times. This experience told me clearly that my nervous system was not ruined and that a whole lot more than demyelination was to blame for my problems.
Many find a strong niacin flush rather unpleasant, but I say that trying it, properly, a number of times just might give you a new perspective on your condition, as it did for me. It is sure one of the things to try before having your foot cut off.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-d ... 22638.html
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jay123
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by jay123 »

Funny timing, just watching the news here (I am in NY) and there were stories about new studies on niacin -
Here is one I found on the internet -
http://www.arklatexhomepage.com/story/d ... nZ2uFyYL_w
THX1138
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by THX1138 »

The niacins in the video were all of the "flush free" varieties.

The kind I use for a good flush is standard, immediate release niacin.
Last edited by THX1138 on Sun Jul 27, 2014 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
David1949
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by David1949 »

For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with the "niacin flush", it makes your skin feel like it's on fire. First time I tried it I ended up running to the shower for a cold shower. If you are going to try this start with a very low dose first and then work your way up. And if you are unable to run then have a means of cooling off at hand; ice pack maybe.
THX1138
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by THX1138 »

David1949 wrote:For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with the "niacin flush", it makes your skin feel like it's on fire. First time I tried it I ended up running to the shower for a cold shower. If you are going to try this start with a very low dose first and then work your way up. And if you are unable to run then have a means of cooling off at hand; ice pack maybe.


For a broader perspective:
1) Some find the flush pleasurable
2) I find it kind of weird and mildly unpleasant. The benefits (while they last) are wonderful, however.
3) And, of course, some hate it.
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eric593
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Re: Amputation for foot drop?

Post by eric593 »

I don't think amputation is medically indicated for foot drop. I doubt this is even an option, you couldn't find a surgeon who'd agree to do this.

If the Bioness must be worn with shoes, there's another one, I think WalkAide, that doesn't need shoes.

I agree with Geoff that it could be upper nerves/muscles that aren't lifting the leg, not the nerve lifting the toes. So you could lift the toes electrically all you want, but your leg will still drag if the upper leg isn't lifting the entire leg up. I've heard there is another FES device to stimulate the upper muscles but haven't found it. There apparently is a full leg brace that might help, check with an occupational therapist or orthotist.
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