Sciatic Nerve

Foot Drop Treatments

cmaynard — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:33:51 -0700

Treatment for foot drop will vary depending on the cause. Treating the underlying cause as effectively as possible should always be part of the foot drop treatment plan.

Typical treatments for drop foot include:

Foot Drop Diagnosis

cmaynard — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:19:57 -0700

When diagnosing foot drop, doctors typically rely on a 0-5 foot mobility threshold, with 0 referring to complete paralysis and 5 signifying complete foot mobility.

As there are many potential causes of drop foot, a doctor must first pinpoint its underlying source.

Diagnosing Causes of Drop Foot

A typical dropped foot diagnostic process includes:

Foot Drop Causes

cmaynard — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:03:02 -0700

When learning about drop foot, it should be reiterated that it is a symptom of an underlying condition. Generally speaking, foot drop causes may include:

Muscle damage
Skeletal or anatomical abnormalities affecting the foot
Nerve damage.

Common Drop Foot Causes

Specific causes of foot drop that should be considered may include:

Foot Drop Symptoms, Steppage Gait & Other Warning Signs

cmaynard — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:49:40 -0700

Foot drop typically affects the muscles responsible for moving the ankle and foot upward, specifically the anterior tibialis, extensor hallucis longus and extensor digitorum longus.

With drop foot, these muscles are inhibited from performing several functions during a normal walking stride, including swinging the toes up from the ground at the start of a stride and controlling the foot after the heel is planted near the end of a stride. Consequently, the most recognized foot drop symptom occurs: high steppage gait.

Foot Drop Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

cmaynard — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:28:21 -0700

Foot drop, or drop foot as it may also be called, refers to a weakening of the muscles that allow one to flex the ankle and toes, causing the individual to drag the front of the foot while walking and to compensate for this scuffle by bending the knee to lift the foot higher than usual.

Foot Pain Causes and Treatments

cmaynard — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:03:33 -0700

As stated earlier, lower back conditions may prompt a series of symptoms that produce foot pain, usually associated with leg pain (sciatica). To understand how lower back conditions may be the source of pain in the foot, one needs to learn about the largest single nerve in the human body, the sciatic nerve.

Foot Pain Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

cmaynard — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:36:09 -0700

While there may be many causes of foot pain, it is important to note that not all foot pain originates in the toes or in the front or back of the foot, nor does it necessarily develop because of some injury or trauma to the foot.

Effectiveness of Sciatica Treatment, Herniated Disc Surgeries Compared in Recent Study

cmaynard — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:27:47 -0700

July 15, 2009
by: Sylvia Marten

View Sciatica Videos

Examining the effectiveness of conventional microdiscectomy and tubular disectomy surgeries for treatment of [url:996,type=|node|,content=|sciatica symptoms|] resulting from a [url:885,type=|node|,content=|herniated disc|], a recent study found and opined that the minimally invasive, tubular surgery did not result in better outcomes for patients despite such claims in the past.

[url:1584,type=|node|,content=|conventional microdiscectomy|]. The most commonly performed surgery for patients with sciatic leg pain from disc herniation, [url:5991,type=|node|,content=|microdiscectomy|] (also known as lumbar decompression surgery) entails the removal of a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material under the nerve root to relieve neural impingement and provide more room to heal.
[url:6025,type=|node|,content=|tubular discectomy|]. Introduced in 1997, tubular discectomy involves a similar procedure to the one described above, with the exception that it is performed through a tubular device. This type of herniated disc surgery has been described as producing less tissue damage and resulting in a faster rate of recovery, the latter point serving as the basis of examination for the Sciatica Micro-Endoscopic Discectomy trial.

Performed by researchers in the Netherlands, this trial involved 328 patients (ages 18 to 70 years) who:

had persistent leg pain from lumbar herniated discs for more than 8 weeks
were hospitalized in 7 general hospitals in the Netherlands from January 2005 to October 2006
were randomized to either a tubular discectomy (approximately 167 patients) or conventional microdiscectomy (161 patients).

A blind follow up was conducted a year later, with functional ability, pain and a self-view of recovery assessed via a series of questionnaires and surveys.

Findings on Microdiscectomy and Tubular Discectomy

According to the study, conventional microdiscectomy produced more favorable results than tubular discectomy after one year for:

functionality. The mean score on the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ), which has a 0-23 score range with higher scores indicative of worse functional status, was 3.4 for conventional microdiscectomy and 4.7 for tubular discectomy.
leg pain. On the visual analog scale, the 1-year mean difference was in favor of conventional microdiscectomy (with scores of 4.2 mm for leg pain and 3.5 mm for [url:145,type=|term|,content=|back pain|]).
self-reports of recovery. 120 of 151 patients (79%) who had conventional microdiscectomy reported good recovery a year later while 107 of 156 of patients (69%) who had tubular discectomy reported good recovery a year after the minimally-invasive procedure.

It should be known that this randomized control trial by no means knocks the validity of tubular disectomy as a minimally-invasive procedure for herniated discs; rather, it challenges certain claims like it increasing the rates of recovery.

Source: JAMA

More on This Topic

[url:1001,type=|node|,content=|Sciatic Nerve Anatomy and Sciatica Symptoms|]
[url:1016,type=|node|,content=|The Truth about Sciatica|]
[url:715,type=|node|,content=|Lumbar Herniated Disc|]
[url:884,type=|node|,content=|Treatment Options for a Lumbar Herniated Disc|]
[url:9574,type=|node|,content=|Surgery Options for a Herniated Disc|]
[url:18207,type=|node|,content=|Lower Back Pain after Surgery|]
[url:7996,type=|node|,content=|Sciatica Treatments|]

Spinal Anatomy and its Effects on Types of Spinal Stenosis

Ben Parr — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:34:23 -0700

See the Spinal Stenosis
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Sciatic Nerve

spine-health — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 07:53:46 -0800

Definition

Sciatic Nerve Anatomy and Sciatica Symptoms

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:52:48 -0800

Additional Sciatica Info:

Sciatica Symptoms

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:52:48 -0800

For some people, sciatica pain can be severe and debilitating. For others, the sciatica symptoms might be infrequent and irritating, but have the potential to get worse. Usually, sciatica only affects one side of the lower body, and the pain often radiates from the lower back all the way through the back of the thigh and down through the leg.

Sciatica and the Sciatic Nerve

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:52:48 -0800

Piriformis Syndrome - Another Irritation to the Sciatic Nerve

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:51:39 -0800

Piriformis syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve and causes pain in the rear and may cause pain along the back of the leg and into the foot (similar to sciatic pain). Piriformis syndrome is most common among women, and is thought to be common among active individuals (such as runners and walkers).

Diagnosis of Piriformis Syndrome

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:51:39 -0800

There is no simple diagnostic test for piriformis syndrome causing irritation of the sciatic nerve. The condition is primarily diagnosed on the basis of the patient’s symptoms and on a physical exam.

Symptoms of piriformis syndrome
Most commonly, patients describe acute tenderness in the rear and sciatica-like pain down the back of the leg. Typical symptoms of piriformis syndrome may include:

Comprehensive Management of Piriformis Syndrome and Sciatica Pain

spine-health — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 21:51:39 -0800

Depending on the severity of the patient’s sciatica-type pain and other symptoms, a number of treatment options may be recommended by a health care professional. A comprehensive approach to managing pain along the sciatic nerve from piriformis syndrome may include a combination of: