Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36843147›Full record

SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2023

Management strategies for the painless foot drop: a systematic review of the literature.

S Waseem, J Kyriakides, A R Amiri, R Shetty, N Shetty, R Chammaa

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Prognostic factors and surgical outcomes of foot drop secondary to lumbar degenerative disease: A systematic review and Individual patient data meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Lumbar disc herniation with moderate-to-severe motor deficit: A multicenter real-world study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Observational
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. The Determination of Assistance-as-Needed Support by an Ankle-Foot Orthosis for Patients with Foot Drop.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

S WaseemDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Whittington Hospital, Magdala Avenue, London, UK. saimawaseem@doctors.org.uk.ORCID 0000-0001-7809-7808
J KyriakidesDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Whittington Hospital, Magdala Avenue, London, UK.
A R AmiriDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Whittington Hospital, Magdala Avenue, London, UK.
R ShettyDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Whittington Hospital, Magdala Avenue, London, UK.
N ShettyDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Whittington Hospital, Magdala Avenue, London, UK.
R ChammaaDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The Whittington Hospital, Magdala Avenue, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeFoot drop can uncommonly be a painless presenting symptom of degenerative spinal disorders. This systematic review aimed to summarise the literature on the management and outcomes of patients with a painless foot drop.

methodsWe performed a systematic review of PubMed, EMBASE and Medline according to PRISMA guidelines. All studies published after 1980 in English referring to adult patients with a painless foot drop were included. Exclusion criteria included opinion based reports, review articles and articles in which foot drop was not caused by degenerative pathology of the thoracolumbar spine.

resultsOf 62 included patients, 30 (48.4%) were male with an average age of 48.7 years (range 27-84). The mean duration of symptoms was 69.0 days (1-700). 98.8% were managed operatively. 46 (74.2%) patients had symptomatic improvement, with 41 (66.1%) having a post-intervention MRC power grading of 3 or above. Patients with a pre-procedure MRC 0 had a higher median increase in MRC post-procedure than those with MRC > 0. Of two studies comparing painful and painless symptoms, painless foot drop patients were less likely to recover to MRC equal to or over 3 than those with painful symptoms OR 0.31 (95% CI 0.04-2.65).

conclusionThis systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates a role for surgery in facilitating the neurological recovery of patients with a painless foot drop. Large randomised controlled studies are required to characterise the role of operative intervention in these patients and compare outcomes between patients with painless and painful foot drop.

Indexed as

Spinal DiseasesAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedFoot dropLumbar degenerative diseasePainlessWeakness

Identifiers

PMID36843147

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.