My name is Anna and I am 19 years old. I have been living with foot drop for ten years. On the 20th June 2013 aged 9, I broke my right femur badly in a freak accident at school. In my head I knew something was badly wrong when it happened as my leg was stuck behind my neck and I had heard two loud snaps. When the ambulance service arrived, they immediately requested the air ambulance and I was very concerned. The helicopter crew were amazing and sedated me allowing them to traction my leg in order to to transfer me to hospital.
Once at hospital, I had scans which determined the extent of my broken femur. I underwent a procedure to put my leg in traction before undergoing emergency surgery the following day to place two rods to secure the break. Unfortunately, following this operation I was left in severe pain. Due to my young age I struggled to verbalise how I was feeling and over the following days I was unable to move, and had to lay flat. A further X-ray showed that the rods placed into secure the break had pierced the femoral cortex and I underwent a further operation to adjust them. It is thought that my sciatic nerve may have been damaged during this operation.
I had a very slow recovery and during my physiotherapy appointments it was clear that I had foot drop and I was eventually diagnosed with a nerve injury as a result of my broken femur. I got my first foot drop splint, which I responded really well to wearing and it meant that I was falling much less frequently when walking.
I made enough progress with my foot drop splint to return to playing regular netball as a goal shooter. However, on the 17th March 2019, during a netball match I went for the ball and the defender marking me knocked me, causing me to fall on my right leg. Due to the limited feeling in my right leg I did not realise the full extent of this injury until I removed my trainer. Over the following days and weeks, the swelling increased in my right lower leg and it was clear something was not right. I developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a rare neurological condition which has no known cure at this current time. I have not walked unaided since this diagnosis and have had to come to terms with living with this disability.
My foot drop with the diagnosis of CRPS has been extremely challenging to manage. With CRPS comes many different symptoms, one of which has caused my right lower legs skin to become very fragile. The AFO I used following my broken femur has caused me to develop several ulcers on my shin. With the help of my medical team, over the last few years I have trialled a few different AFOs in the hope of lowering the chances of me getting ulcers however none of the standard NHS splints worked. Recently, I trialled the TurboMed splint which has minimal skin to brace contact and I have been using this for a few weeks.
Although the future for me remains uncertain regarding my CRPS diagnosis, I know my foot drop diagnosis is permanent and I have many different strategies in place to live with it. Thanks to my new TurboMed brace, for the first time in years I have worn sandals. This has helped me hugely mentally as I can now enjoy the summer wearing sandals instead of trainers.
Having my accident at 9 years old and learning to live with a physical disability has been incredibly tough. However, as I reflect on the last ten years as I write this piece, I want to reach out to those people living with foot drop to tell them that it takes time to adapt to living with foot drop, so be kind to yourself. Going from an able bodied person to now reliant on two crutches has been challenging for me especially during my teenage years as peers struggled to understand what I was going g through. As you adapt to foot drop, it will take time to adjust but you will soon look back on your progress with a smile. Although your life may be different to what it was prior to your diagnosis of foot drop, you will continue to enjoy life and I hope by reading this you will be able to see that although my life has changed hugely, I am still chasing my dreams and hope to have a successful career as an Occupational Therapist once I graduate from University.
Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank my medical team who continue to support me in my ongoing rehabilitation - I am always grateful for the time and support they give me, and lastly, a big thank you to my parents, brother and family for there support, without them I would not be where I am today.
Thank you for reading my story.