Rehabilitation interventions for foot drop in neuromuscular disease

Rehabilitation for foot drop (weakness or muscle shortening (contracture) at the ankle joint) Foot drop is the term commonly used to describe weakness or contracture of the muscles at the ankle joint. It may arise from many neuromuscular diseases. Interventions might include a wait and see approach, physiotherapy, orthotics (appliances), surgery or drug therapy. The review identified three randomised controlled trials which met the criteria for inclusion in the review, involving 139 participants in total. In one trial involving people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, also known as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, exercise had a significant beneficial effect on walking ability. A trial of surgery on the Achilles tendon in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy had no significant effect on walking ability. Data from a third trial of exercise in people with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy showed no positive effect on ankle strength. Further randomised controlled trials are needed. Foot drop is the term commonly used to describe weakness or contracture of the muscles at the ankle joint. It may arise from many neuromuscular diseases. Interventions might include a wait and see approach, physiotherapy, orthotics (appliances), surgery or drug therapy. The review identified three randomised controlled trials which met the criteria for inclusion in the review, involving 139 participants in total. In one trial involving people with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, also known as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, exercise had a significant beneficial effect on walking ability. A trial of surgery on the Achilles tendon in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy had no significant effect on walking ability. Data from a third trial of exercise in people with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy showed no positive effect on ankle strength. Further randomised controlled trials are needed.