Weight-loss jab users are being left with a devastating new side-effect, a top surgeon has warned.
The alarming trend spotted amongst GLP-1 users means some patients cannot lift their limbs due to nerve dysfunction.
One of the UK's leading orthopaedic surgeons, Tim Sinnett, has said he 'expects to see more patients presenting these symptoms over time'.
The Foot and Ankle Surgeon, who is part of the prestigious Grosvenor Orthopaedic Partners group, added: 'In the past six months, I have seen a handful of patients with foot drop related to weight-loss jabs - a phenomenon which has only presented itself this year.
'The sudden loss of weight, associated with this medication, is what is causing the problem.
'All nerves have a natural rim of fat around them. Suddenly losing weight, and the fat surrounding nerves, can cause this nerve dysfunction in the foot and ankle.
'Patients with foot drop can have difficulty lifting the front part of the foot, causing it to drag on the floor.
'Although losing weight is generally beneficial for the feet and ankles, in terms of reducing the force on the joints, the speed of the weight loss appears to be causing the nerves to malfunction.
'Luckily, the nerves are not damaged; however, restoring their function takes time and months of physio.
'Quite often I will ask them to use a splint to help with their walking. It is a slow process and also involves patients having to stabilise their weight, which can be difficult in some circumstances.'
It is estimated that 1.5 million people in the UK are currently using GLP-1 drugs, with many unaware of the potential side-effects.
Mr Sinnett said there was unfortunately 'no way of preventing foot drop' for those on the jabs.
He added: 'I expect to see more patients presenting these symptoms over time, as I believe this is just the start of the trend.
'It is likely that more patients presenting with foot drop are weight-loss jab users; they just have not disclosed it or even considered it to be the cause.'
Earlier this month, the Daily Mail revealed how dozens of deaths of middle-aged Britons had been linked to jabs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.
Watchdogs received 52 fatal reports for GLP-1 injections since the beginning of 2024, with experts sounding the alarm over the figures as millions more are expected to get in line for the injections to curb the nation's bulging waistline.
Tam Fry, chair of the National Obesity Forum, claimed that although the drugs were hugely effective for those who need them, they were being used 'inappropriately' by slimmer adults who 'fancy losing a bit of weight'.
He added: 'If you take them and you don't need them, and you break the rules, you run the risk of serious complications - or death.
'People think "its not going to happen to me" but it will happen to them. So they take them and they get severe complications.'
The data kept by a Government body does not state whether any of the people who died while using the jabs had been using them inappropriately.
In total, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which polices the safety of every drug used in Britain, has received 173 'reports with fatal outcomes' from GLP-1 injections.