foot drop

Remembering My First MS Symptom

What was your first MS symptom? Mine ā€” the one that made me realize something was really wrong ā€” was my inability to squeeze the toothpaste tube with my left hand one morning. Of course, there were earlier hints of trouble. I was unusually tired while attending a business…

FDA Clears Leg-worn ‘Neural Sleeve’ to Aid Walking

Cionic has received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its lightweight, leg-worn Neural Sleeve to improve walking in people with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) and other conditions that affect mobility. The decision comes four months after the company submitted the device ā€” the first to…

MS Hiker Laces Up Her Boots for Appalachian Trail

Reservations at a base lodge have been made, and a starting date is circled on her calendar. MS hiker April Hester is ready to start up the Appalachian Trail in the eastern U.S. It’s always an uphill hike for April, even when the trail is flat. She was diagnosed with…

Are You Prepared for a Fall?

I sit amid the flood of carpet stain remover. My left leg is elongated as my right leg is at a jackknife. The cool of the fluid penetrates my sweats. Shock dissipates into pain. I try to move, but pain sears down toward my tailbone. I sit in the dark…

Foot Drop Device Earns Innovation Challenge Prize

As winner of the Lyfebulb and Bristol Myers Squibb Innovation Challenge in multiple sclerosis (MS), Evolution Devices will use the $25,000 in prize money to further develop a smart stimulation therapy that seeks to improve patient mobility. The innovative electrical device under development by Pierluigi Mantovani, co-founder…

Need to Know: What Is Foot Drop and What Can I Do About It?

Editor’s note: “Need to Knowā€ is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topicĀ “Do you suffer from the MS symptom of ā€˜drop foot?ā€™” from Sept. 20,…

A Judge Takes a Swing at an Insurance Company’s Denials

Robert Scola Jr. is a federal judge in Miami, and he’s just recused himself from a case involving the UnitedHealthcare (UHC) insurance company. The case is one of two filed in Miami over the last two months claiming that UHC has improperly denied coverage for a specific cancer…

I’m Keeping Aware of Fall Risks with MS

ā€œOh no, not again.ā€ My mind races and time slows as I crumble to the floor. Every downward movement is magnified, and so too is the pain of my twisted left foot and leg. They have become the resting place for my slumping body. My fuzzy and confused mind…

Dazed and Confused: Tips for when Gravity Calls

Nothing resets your thinking like bouncing your head off a hardwood floor. At least, for me. It was about 10 p.m. on a Saturday night, and we were shutting down the house. That routine consists of turning lights off, locking doors, and plugging in phones and…

Sole Survivor: My Life, One Step at a Time

Footwear and shoes and journeys have been in my info stream (and on my mind) a lot lately. First, I stumbled onto a very fine column about shoes and MS written by Jennifer Powell (Exchanging a Sole for a Soul). Her essay resonated…

MS Foot Drop and the Road to Physiatry

When I first heard about MS ā€œfoot drop,ā€ I assumed that the manifestation of this symptom would be a sudden and obvious inability to walk properly. Ā I knew many people with MS who used canes and walked with significant stiffness or a “dragging” limb. I filed ā€œfoot dropā€ away…

Bloom, Wherever You Fall! An MS Detour

Editor’s Note: MS Patient Specialist and Columnist Judy Lynn writes from her unique and engaging perspective as an MS patient reflecting on the challenges that the disease presents and how to cope with them in her daily life. In her debut article for her new Column “You’ve Got Some Nerves,”…