Foot drop

[Paul Lutes]

Interesting - hope this turns out to be the case ..... easy fix!

.... but cold feet?

Keep us posted!

 

[Tom K.]

Did the sock change help at all?

If things weren't perfect today w/r/t foot drop, at least you found the powder!!!

 

[dan ross]

That is my main concern, I'm due to leave Whitefish on 3/19 and it will take a week to get back to FL. Then I'll have to go to a walk-in clinic as my primary care doc has left the state and I haven't settled on a new one. I don't really want to start this investigation here in Montana for continuity reasons. Modern Problems...

I PM’d you. Can you plantar flex that foot? Can you mimic a track start by placing that foot behind the other- do the calf muscles engage? Tibial Anterior? If so, Pain? ( and where?)

 

[PaganSkier]

It's my right foot that is the problem, it's interesting to me how it affects my skiing. On groomers I can mostly overcome the lack of dorsiflexion when making a right footed turn. Pulling the new outside ski back forces the ankle to close but it's not quite the same as actively closing it. It mostly just adds to an uncertain foot placement and a lack of confidence that I'm hooked up correctly to resist the building pressure in the bottom of the turn.

A left footed turn on piste is not so bad and actually feels normal - the right (inside) leg can pull back in the normal fashion and the left foot supports the building pressure. Where it really falls apart is in the trees, I depend on that drift and drop motion to check my speed. There's a brief moment when both ankles should be in dorsiflexion to get forward in the next turn. Having one foot doing it and the other going along for the ride creates all sorts of havoc.

Medically speaking I think I'm OK with seeing a doctor when I get back. If it gets worse I'll change my mind for sure. It seems ridiculous to me that I'm probably in the 90th percentile athletically for my age group but I now need a dermatologist, orthopedist, cardiologist, urologist, oncologist, a primary care physician and now I may need to add a neurologist. Lord have mercy!

I would urge you to get a proper diagnosis ASAP. A buddy in his early 60's had similar symptoms this fall. He blamed it on too many drops in the bike park this summer. His wife is a chiropractor, and did some initial work on him, but the foot drop was very concerning to her. So he went to a spinal specialist, and they saw the problem with a disc. They encouraged him to not delay surgery. Everything went well, and he has been skiing all season.

Another friend who is an excellent all around athlete had similar symptoms many years ago, and waited too long. He said it change who he is as a person as he lost some motor function.

 

[Fuller]

I would urge you to get a proper diagnosis ASAP. A buddy in his early 60's had similar symptoms this fall. He blamed it on too many drops in the bike park this summer. His wife is a chiropractor, and did some initial work on him, but the foot drop was very concerning to her. So he went to a spinal specialist, and they saw the problem with a disc. They encouraged him to not delay surgery. Everything went well, and he has been skiing all season.

Another friend who is an excellent all around athlete had similar symptoms many years ago, and waited too long. He said it change who he is as a person as he lost some motor function.

I hear you, I'm still skiing at a pretty high level and I'm not in pain but I'm definitely getting it checked out as soon as I get back to Florida. It does worry me a bit that the term "waited too long" is a rather amorphous period of time. I'll report back when I know more, thanks.

 

[Jerez]

The longer a nerve is compromised the longer it takes to heal. And nerves take a long time to heal. Wait long enough and damage becomes too great. In my DH's case it was years, not weeks.

 

[miatamarty]

I had a ruptured disc in my lower back about 12 years ago. Worst pain ever even worse than kidney stones. I had severe sciatica with constant cramping in my left calf. Used a tens unit to combat the cramping. I had a burning sensation that went from my butt all the way down to the toes in my left foot. Many visits to a good chiropractor and a really good masseuse to combat the cramping and muscle seizures. She would use her elbow to apply pressure points to stop the spasms. After about 5 weeks the pain started to tone down. I'll never forget my first cruiser bike ride around the block. I had tears in my eyes. I really thought I was going to be damaged for life. I had severe foot drop that made walking difficult. I was an auto shop owner who spent the whole day on my feet. What fixed me was weight lifting with barbells. I know it's counter intuitive but doing low bar back squats and deadlifts and over head presses fixed me. Not physical therapy or surgery. The medical industry just doesn't understand how being physically strong makes you whole body healthier. I was a disciple of Starting Strength. The regimen is easy to follow. You just add a little bit of weight at each work out. Very easy to measure your progress of getting stronger. Once you learn the proper lifting technique you will not hurt yourself. That's key. Lots of online stuff from Starting Strength to get you going. My foot drop went away after about 3 months of consistent lifting. The heavy lifting caused the nerves to start working agin. The foot drop was gone. I was skiing 6 months after the disc rupture. I'm 72 now and still lifting heavy weights. It has become my Fountain of Youth I kid you not. I have not had to go back to the Chiro since then because I truly believe that having a strong back and abdominal muscles will keep your spine healthy. Well it keeps everything healthy. I even have 2 new knees that are very healthy. No more moguls but I never liked them anyway. Being stronger will make you a better skier with a lot more stamina.