WalkAide "friggin awesome!"

[Ivy]

Walk Aide

I tested the walk aide for three full weeks . No charge, no
Credit card deposit , just on the honor system. This was with Hangar. Results: great help but I have lots of tone and for me depending on my good days it worked better but definitely helped with foot drop fatigue. I could last longer.
The bioness and walk aide are both great. Difference? You can go barefoot on walk aide since it's only a cuff under the knee while the bioness has an insert in the shoe-no flip flops ladies!
Look them up on YouTube . Great patient videos.

[teena marie]

Hi Susan,

The electric shock feeling was a bit unpleasant but tolerable and I was getting used to it. You're correct in believing you need an experienced technician. I believe both companies have customer service departments and I often find getting to the source helps me find the right help. There was also a rental option-rent to buy-which seemed like a good plan.

Teena Marie

[14Fan]

Teena Marie,

Thanks for the info an good luck wishes!

We're either one of the units uncomfortable for you during the STIM? I don't know if I could get used to what I felt at times. Then again, the PT mentioned several times that the knob on the intensity level was loose and moved too freely. The guy was nice enough, but I don't think he knows a lot about the device and how to calibrate it.

Take care,

Susan

[teena marie]

I have tried both the Walkaid and Bioness in a clinic setting for brief periods. There was some help but not enough to warrant the price. It also seemed a little fiddly. And required wardrobe considerations. I am trying my own electrical stimulation to help the foot drop and regular talking to my foot to help with the messaging. But,as we keep saying, we're all different and get different results. Too bad you have to wait so long to get another assessment.

Good luck,
Teena Marie

[14Fan]

Tested Walkaide

Hello. I am new to this forum. I had an evaluation appointment with Hanger today to test the WalkAide. I am fairly disappointed. The PT was able to get my foot to move when he would first start the STIM, but then the movement would stop. He tried everything he could think of. He changed the electrodes and then battery. But nothing worked. He said he had not worked with the WalkAide very much and suggested I come back when the other PT is back from vacation, since he had worked the WalkAide more. The appointment is for August 2.
Has anyone one else had this issue?
I was diagnosed with MS about 20 months ago. I have foot drop and walking any distance by myself has become increasingly difficult.

[ActiveMSers]

Anyone else test these products? I don't have foot drop, so I'm not a good candidate to test these walking gizmos. More opinions are welcome (indeed, needed!).

[Lynn Hendrix]

Bioness not for Everyone

I tried the Bioness combined with several months of PT and, for me, it did not help. This doesn't mean it won't help a lot of MSers; it does mean, it has to address specific foot drop issues in order to be successful.

[hannakat]

I tested the WalkAid 3 weeks ago. It is pretty awsome. The tec was very specific and patient to get it in sync with my walking stride.

Until insurance will help pay though, it's not in the ball park for me.

There is also the Bioness (SP?) that works well also and is more user friendly while doing other things besides straight walking (such as cooking). I'd like to try that also but until it's approved for MS, it would be a waste of time I guess.

[ActiveMSers]

One of my good friends recently had a chance to test out the WalkAide, a device that straps to your leg to aide foot drop. He was skeptical. How well could a tiny device running on a single AA battery work?

Before the test, they told him to get good and tired, so he walked until his leg was jello. They then set him up with the WalkAide, calibrating it for stride length, etc., and then told my buddy (a veteran MSer with 18 years experience) to go on stroll. No cane. No rollator. The result?

"Friggin awesome, Dave" he said. He could do rounds and rounds of walking without fatigue. Hills became speed bumps. Stairs: no problem.

Is this the Holy Grail? No, but early reviews suggest it works as advertised. More details to come!