New to AFO's

[crawfoej]

I'm new to AFO's. I tried the bioness yesterday and was advised to also try bilateral AFO's before purchasing the bioness. Where we live, I can either do custom made AFO's or order off the shelf online. I'm hesitant to do the custom mades because I have no way of knowing if they will help without purchasing them. I found the Step Smart online, has anyone had experiance with them?

[teena marie]

Hi there,

I ordered a strp smart brace this week and it's on it's way. I'll let you know.

Teena Marie

[crawfoej]

Have you had experiance with any other type of AFO?

[crawfoej]

I ordered some too. Have you received yours yet. I just got back from the PT and she had never seen them before. She was able to make some minor adjustment by referring to the product insert information and was very impressed with the product. I'm going to try and wear them while horseback riding tonight to see if they help me keep my heels down. Let me know how yours work out.

[teena marie]

Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. Too rigid and I've had this before that when I take it off, my foot doesn't work at all. At the moment, I'm using an elastic strap that attaches to my shoe that lifts my foot up. I like this for uneven ground or over snowbanks. It's called a musmate-sorry I don't have the link but it's on goggle. I'm just working on activating my foot with walking, some exercises and electrical stimulation.

Have fun on your horse.

Teena Marie

[crawfoej]

smart step

Teena,
I'm sorry these didn't work for you, we are all so different. Mine seem to be fine and have really improved my riding. Thanks for taking time to respond.

[14Fan]

Since Anthem doesn't want to pay for a WalkAide for me, I brought a Step Smart. I've had it about a month now. It does help with the foot drop, but has only made a small improvement to my overall gait. Sure beats tripping over your own foot!

I am still trying to figure out a way to use it with sandals. I can't imagine going the whole summer in closed toed shoes!