Happy Wednesday! Today is August 23 and it’s been a scorcher of a week so far in Georgia. Mid 90’s every day this week (so far) with highs expected to be around 100 both Friday and Saturday. Good times! As I’ve mentioned before… heat can be a real game changer for folks with MS, so definitely having to limit time outdoors. Oh well. Fall is on the way! Hopefully….
The topic of the day is something called Foot Drop (Or Drop Foot)! Foot Drop is caused by the nerve pathways between the brain and legs not communicating properly resulting in folks not being able to properly lift their feet when walking/jogging/etc. I did a bit of online querying and while everyone seems to agree that Foot Drop is very common with MS, no statistics were available. Based on my personal experience and conversations with other MSer’s, I’d guess almost all of us experience Foot Drop to some degree. Typically, at least for me, this means my foot feels heavy causing my toe to drag a bit resulting in stumbles, trips and (Rarely) falls. Oh my! 🙂
You might be asking yourself how I came up with this topic? Well, I have been doing quite a bit of hiking on local trails and I’ve had my fair share of stumbles. The culprit is generally a tree root or rock that I “Stub” my toe on (ie Foot Drop)… followed by a few staggering steps while I catch my balance or, as was the case a few weeks ago, a good old fashioned fall. Not good!
People close to me often suggest that I, “Just watch where you step” or “Be more aware of your surroundings” or even “Just walk on the sidewalk”. Of course, these are excellent points, however I really enjoy being off the beaten path! It’s a real motivator! Also, the trails I enjoy hiking are in highly wooded areas which provide a great amount of shade and keep things cool. Unlike the sidewalks in my neighborhood. Staying cool helps with any kind of physical activity, so it’s important as I really don’t like the idea of giving up my hikes.
So, one more added to the list of the things that make life interesting when you have MS! Too fun. Seriously though, my stumbles have definitely been on the rise, even when I am not walking on a trail. At this point, I am pointing a finger at the summer heat for causing these problems, but we’ll see if it continues into cooler weather. If so, makes me wonder if there has been a small amount of disease progression. Something to discuss with the doctor next time around!
Take care and talk to you soon!
Steve
PS A pic of the aftermath of my latest stumble. Im being a bit of baby for sure… 🙂
#1guywithms
#mutliplesclerosis
#footdrop
#dropfoot
