Re:AFOs etc

[Guest guest]

Deb:

Reading your post felt like deja vu. Four years ago I didn't think

I needed AFOs because I only had a slight problem with drop foot

and only fell when I was overly tired. Well, long story short,

because I was " overly tired " one day I caught my toe on the

pavement, took a horrific fall that tore all the tendons and

ligaments in my left ankle.

Fast forward to today, I now have had two ankle fusions - first one failed, and

have an ankle that although I can walk on it and it is usually pain manageable,

it does bother me when the weather is bad or I have to stand on hard surfaces

such as concrete or ceramic tile. The fusion created a permanent AFO for that

leg and I wear an AFO on the other leg to prevent any more falls.

The moral of this story - Listen to the orthotist and at least talk to the OT/PT

about the weakness that is starting to occur. Like Gretchen said, they may be

able to help increase your strenth thru exercise. You might also want to get

the AFO to wear only when you are feeling tired and experiencing more problems

with the foot drop.

To answer your other question, yes, I did lose more control of the muscles when

I had the rigid AFO, the hinged improved this problem, and the Walk-On has

actually helped me to develop better motor skills with this leg, but not

necessarily increased the muscle strength.

Do I wish I had been wearing an AFO on those tired days four years ago?

ABSOLUTELY! AFOs aren't something anyone looks forward to dealing with, but

they are a lot better than injury and pain. There was a time during the two and

half years that I spent in a wheelchair trying to heal that I would have given

anything to change that day. Of course, this may never happen to you, and I

hope it doesn't. But this was my experience, and I felt compelled to share with

you what can happen.Good Luck.