I wear one too Erin, and no it does not solve the problem, and you certainly could not drive a stick shift wearing one.

Mine really hurts to wear it and is so uncomfortable that I hardly ever wear it even though it's been adapted several times and changed to different types. I still cannot get used to it, so tend to leave it at home unless my foot drop is particularly troublesome on a particular day.

I must admit that all of my falls have been on days that my AFO has been standing in the corner, so I don't know if it would have saved me some broken bones had I been wearing it at the time.

When I got the first prototype, I was going backwards and forwards to the Orthotic Center to have it adjusted. I guess if you at least got to that stage you would get a bit of an idea of whether or not it would be suitable for you.

But..... if you a driver, they virtually immobilize the affected foot to stop that foot from bending at all. You would not be able to work the accelerator or worse .... the brake of a car, so driving would definitely be out.