If the foot drop were secondary to injury to the axons of the sciatic
nerve, you would expect about about a 1 1/2 to 2 year recover time
(regerneration at 1-3 inches a month). There could be some collateral
sprouting of the remaining nerve so you could expect that to max out at 6
months. An EMG would tell if the problem was due to peripheral nerve
injury vs. CVA (the EMG would be normal except decreased recruitment). An
EMG would also tell you if the patient were reinnervating. The surgeon may
not want to do this as there could be the possiblity of blame. Good luck.
At 07:08 AM 11/6/98 -0800, you wrote:
>I am currently seeing a patient who presented with a foot drop post DHS (for
>a trochanteric fracture). Unfortunately there has been little improvement.
>His prognosis is complicated by a prevous CVA affecting the same side,
>though.
>
>Elaine Gomez
>PT
>
>
>
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