“Can a chiropractor help with drop foot?”

There are various reasons for foot drop, but all have a common thread of altered neurologic communication between the brain the foot. As doctors who specialize in the nerve system, chiropractors are especially well suited to address conditions like food drop.

Thank you for your question. It really depends on what is causing it. The first step is scheduling a new patient appointment to see what the health of your spine looks like on x-rays.

There are many causes of drop foot and it can be debilitating because it severely affects gait. Drop foot most commonly arises due to nerve irritation as the nerve root exits from the spine typically the L4 or L5 spinal nerve, or the peripheral nerve that is in the lower extremity. If the problem is peripheral, then the deep perineal nerve is t typically the one affected. So the cause and the involved nerve must be determined and corrected. If the nerve is irritated in the spine or in the extremity, a chiropractor, better yet a chiropractic neurologist can usually help. Jay H Schwartz, DC, DIBCN, DIBE