Inability to raise the front of the foot due to weakness or paralysis, sometimes acquired?

• A. Foot drop/Drop foot
• B. Pronation
• C. Orthotics
• D. AFO

Answer: (A)

The ability to lift the front of the foot is called dorsiflexion, and when that movement is lost due to weakness or paralysis of the dorsiflexor muscles, the condition is foot drop. It often occurs because of nerve injury or a neurologic problem, and it can be acquired after trauma, stroke, diabetes-related neuropathy, or compression of the peroneal nerve, among other causes. In gait, losing dorsiflexion makes the toes drag or causes a high-stepping pattern as the person tries to clear the foot.

Pronation is simply the inward roll of the foot, not a loss of dorsiflexion. Orthotics are devices used to support or correct alignment, and an ankle-foot orthosis is a type of orthosis used to manage foot drop, but it’s a treatment, not the condition itself.