My toes catch on the ground
Worse when walking fast, turning, or on uneven sidewalks, and worse still as the leg tires.
Drop foot shows up as toes that drag or catch, especially when you’re tired or walking fast. Some people hear the foot slap down after each heel strike. Others lift the knee high or swing the leg out to the side to clear the ground. Stairs and curbs start to feel uncertain.
The common peroneal nerve wraps around the outside of the leg just below the knee, near the top of the fibula. From there it drives the muscles that lift the foot and turn it outward, mainly the tibialis anterior on the front of the shin. Pressure or irritation at that bend can weaken the signal. The same weakness can also come from the low back, so a doctor needs to sort out the source.
Your doctor or neurologist confirms the diagnosis and orders any nerve testing, imaging or bracing. Alongside that, I use dry needling, a form of acupuncture, and electroacupuncture. The peroneus longus begins right where the nerve wraps the fibula, and when it’s tight it can press on the nerve. Needling that muscle aims to clear space around it. With electroacupuncture, fine needles go near the common peroneal nerve and its deep branch, and a gentle current runs between them. This is aimed at supporting the signal to the muscles that lift your foot.
Most people have been fitted with an ankle brace, often called an AFO, and sent to physical therapy for strength work and walking practice. The brace prevents tripping, which matters, but its job is to hold the foot up for you. Strength work tends to go further when the nerve is getting its signal through to the shin muscles. If physical therapy or chiropractic care is already part of your plan, dry needling would add a different tool. New York keeps both professions from using it.
I ask when the foot started dropping, whether you have back pain, and what testing you’ve had. Then the exam:
I work alongside neurologists, physiatrists, orthopedists and physical therapists. If anything I find suggests checking back in with one of them, I’ll let you know and pass along what I found.
No. The common peroneal nerve at the knee is a frequent source. A nerve root in the low back or a wider neuropathy can cause the same weakness. Your doctor’s evaluation sorts out which one applies, and that shapes where I focus treatment.
It may help, usually as a combination when muscle tightness and nerve irritation overlap. Easing the peroneus longus relieves pressure where the nerve wraps the knee. Electroacupuncture is aimed at the signal reaching the muscles that raise the foot.
Usually, yes. Physical therapy builds strength and retrains walking. My treatment is meant to sit alongside it by supporting the nerve signal those exercises depend on.
Keep using it as your doctor or therapist advises. It protects you from tripping while the nerve recovers. Any change to your bracing is their decision.
At the start, expect either two visits a week over six weeks or three a week over four, chosen by severity and your response. Frequent sessions keep the signal to your shin muscles active between physical therapy appointments. As foot clearance improves and stays improved, visits taper.
Drop foot needs a doctor’s evaluation first, to rule out causes in the spinal cord, brain or elsewhere. Go to the emergency room for leg weakness with new bowel or bladder changes or numbness in the groin. Call 911 for weakness with slurred speech, facial droop or confusion. Weakness that spreads or worsens over days needs prompt care.
Adults with pelvic floor, nerve and orthopedic pain, along with neurological conditions. Most of my patients come to me after other care hasn't fully settled things. If you're looking for general wellness acupuncture, I'm not the right fit.
We review your history and what you've already tried. I assess the muscles and nerves involved, and you're treated the same day.
It depends on the condition. Pelvic and orthopedic plans usually run 4 to 6 weeks. Neurological plans are usually 2 visits a week for 6 weeks or 3 a week for 4. After that, visits space out so the changes hold. These are typical timelines, not promises.
Yes. I work alongside doctors, physical therapists and specialists. If something I find needs a closer look from one of them, I'll tell you.
I'm an out-of-network provider. You pay at the time of your visit, and my office submits the claim so any reimbursement comes to you. Free benefit checks are available before your first visit through the verification form, and HSA and FSA cards work. I don't take Medicare or Medicaid, though some Medicare Advantage plans reimburse out-of-network care. Full insurance details
Yes. I treat adults, teens and children, though I don't specialize in infants or toddlers.
Yes. Book a free discovery call to ask your questions and see whether we're a good fit.
Dry needling is a form of acupuncture. Fine needles go into tight bands of muscle and trigger points to lower muscle tension and change how the area is signaling.
You may feel a brief twitch or a deep ache as the needle reaches tight muscle. It passes quickly, and any soreness afterward usually fades within a day or two.
It's generally safe with a properly trained practitioner. Needles are sterile and single-use, and I check your health history first, including blood thinners. In New York, dry needling can only be performed by licensed acupuncturists, MDs and DOs. Physical therapists and chiropractors aren't permitted to perform it.
Eat something light beforehand and wear loose clothing that lets me reach the area being treated.
Usually not. Ultrasound helps in a few specific cases, but it hasn't been shown to improve results for common trigger points. A careful hands-on exam is what guides the needle. More on ultrasound-guided dry needling
Dry needling aimed at the pelvic floor and the hip and abdominal muscles around it, for pain, tension and urinary symptoms driven by those muscles and their nerves. More on pelvic floor dry needling
Sometimes, depending on the muscles involved, and you'll be draped throughout. Treatment always follows your consent and comfort. I don't do internal exams or internal treatment.
No, though it helps if you've already seen a doctor or pelvic floor physical therapist. Bring any notes or imaging you have.
Completely. I've heard it all, and there's no judgment here, just a straightforward conversation so we can treat what's going on.
Yes, I treat adults of every gender and identity. After gender-affirming surgery involving the pelvis, bring your surgical notes and we'll decide together what fits.
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Evidence-based acupuncture and dry needling on the Upper West Side. From chronic pain and headaches to pelvic floor dysfunction, Dr. Jordan Barber pairs the highest level of training with care that actually listens.
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