A little-known health condition has left 1980s music legend Phil Collins struggling to walk and unable to play the drums. His son Nic revealed the health battles of his father in a new documentary released this week.
In it, he said a condition known as foot drop or drop foot had left his dad – responsible for hits such as In The Air Tonight and Another Day in Paradise – relying on a cane to walk and occasionally use a wheelchair. The Genesis star, one of the biggest Brit pop stars of the 1980s, still wishes he could play the drums, his son said – but lacks the control he once had that made him a master of the art.
The drummer has been grappling with a decline in mobility due to a severe neck injury over the last ten years. That has led to extensive nerve damage.
In the new documentary, ‘Phil Collins: Drummer First’ – which is available on YouTube – the musician is seen walking around slowly with the help of a cane. But it is the revelation about ‘drop foot’ that offers perhaps the most revealing insight into Phil’s health struggles.
Nic says in the new film: “He’s had a few injuries over the years. I think it all stems down to, like, playing drums and the issues he has had with his back – he had back problems throughout the years and that goes hand in hand with just getting older.
“But I think he had a big surgery on his neck that stemmed from all those years playing drums and just bad posture and stuff, which caused him to have drop foot, which basically means that in one of his feet he has like no sensation, which is why he can’t really play drums and why he has like to walk with a cane because he doesn’t just have that control that he used to any more, which sucks and I know he wishes he could sit behind a kit and play he could. It is what it is.”
In a message on the official Genesis website, Phil has also previously opened up about his health struggles, saying: “Somehow, during the last Genesis tour, I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands.”
He continued: “After a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can’t function normally. Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano.”
The NHS says drop foot can make it “difficult to lift or move your foot and toes. It usually affects 1 foot and can affect the way you walk.” In the film, Phil recounts the toll that years of drumming has taken on his hands, legs, and overall physical well-being.
The 73-year-old star said: “If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I’ll have a crack of it. But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles. It’s still kind of sinking in a bit.”
He also reflected on his career and its abrupt change, saying: “I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock. If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything.”
The documentary, released this week, was filmed in 2022. It captures Phil’s perspective on his identity as an artist.
In it, he says: “I’m not a singer that plays a bit of drums. I’m more of a drummer that sings a bit.”
Phil’s son Nic has taken over drumming duties for Genesis since Phil’s health struggles worsened, reports the Express. The music legend said a goodbye to fans at a final Genesis gig at London’s O2 Arena in March 2022.
Despite his frail appearance and the need to perform seated, he was still full of his old humour. He quipped to the audience that he might now have to find a “real job”. The tour had marked Genesis’s return to the stage after a 14-year break.
Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford provided an update on Phil Collins’ health during an appearance on BBC Breakfast last year. Reflecting on his bandmate’s condition, Mike said: “Phil is much more immobile than he used to be, which is a shame. But at the tour, he was in good spirits and he’s fine now at home, enjoying life. He’s worked so hard over the years, I think he’s enjoying his time at home.”
What is foot drop?
The NHS calls it foot drop but says it is also known as drop foot. It says the most common cause is “an injury to a nerve that runs down your leg and controls the muscles that lift your foot”.
They say it can be caused by:
- problems with your nerves (peripheral neuropathy) caused by diabetes
- a slipped disc in the spine
- crossing your legs, kneeling or squatting for long periods of time
- sports injuries
- not moving for a long time (for example, if you’re staying in hospital)
- hip or knee replacement surgery
The NHS says it can get better on its own. But it can be permanent. According to the National Library of Medicine in America, “foot drop is an inability to lift the forefoot due to the weakness of the dorsiflexor muscles of the foot” which they say can lead to falls.
The NHS also lists some other less common causes of the condition. These are:
- muscle weakness caused by muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy or motor neurone disease
- damage to the brain or spinal cord caused by a stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis
- inherited conditions like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
What treatments are there for foot drop?
According to the NHS, this depends on what is causing it and how long you have had it for. Common treatments include physiotherapy to strengthen or stretch the muscles in the leg and foot.
It can also include braces, splints or shoe inserts. These can help hold the foot in position.
But it can also include a small device, the NHS says. This is “put in your body and uses electrical signals to help your nerves work (electrical nerve stimulation) – especially if you’ve had a stroke or have multiple sclerosis.”
People with permanent loss of movement from foot drop may need to have surgery to fuse the ankle and foot joints, or repair or graft the nerve. Sufferers are advised to get a walking stick and may find it helpful to have handrails at home, the NHS says.