Eureka! Institutional Repository

Walking and running are some of the most basic movements of human body. Walking is the basic way of human moving, while running is the basic way of athletic exercise, which led to the long-term development of the human kind. However, certain pathologies come to hinder this ability and complicate our way of living. One of them is the Foot Drop, a very debilitating condition, in which the weakness of the dorsiflexion of ankle, due to peroneal nerve palsy, causes the dragging of the toes at the swing phase of gait. The purpose of this research is to study the effect of electrotherapy and physical therapy, in general, on the pathology of Foot Drop. Results: After analyzing all kinds of physiotherapy methods and particularly of electrotherapy, based on data collected from various studies carried out, we came to the fact that using special ankle splints and application of functional electrical stimulation are the most reliable methods of dealing with the Foot Drop. Comparing the effects of both methods, and considering the pros and cons, we conclude that their results are similar in this condition, without great differences. Nevertheless, patients show a strong preference for the use of functional electrical stimulation for aesthetic reasons. Finally, surgical interventions have not yielded encouraging results and they are not recommended for frequent use.