Oh, happy day! No more boot cast on my left foot to support my leg. I got my new Ankle Foot Orthotic Brace today. It is the first time in 3 months I have worn matching shoes! I celebrated by taking a short walk at the park. So much more comfortable than wearing a boot cast.

Although when I first put it on and took my first step I almost fell on the floor. I was not expecting as much forward flex in the ankle as the boot cast totally immobilized my ankle. It will take a while to get used to it. It is so much more comfortable though. /sigh of relief.

here is a picture

http://www.arizonaafo.com/extended.html

Looks like a nice brace.

Please keep us informed as to your adjustments.

Do you have foot drop? Is that what you are using it for?

I have two of those (for my bilateral footdrops) except rather than that lace up type boot, I have a broad strap that goes from the heel and wraps over the top of my foot like the strap of a shoe. The strap (about 2 inches wide) sits just above the point where my shoe ends, and stops my feet from popping out of the splint, which they otherwise do.

How does the lace up thing work ? Does it fit into a regular shoe, and how thick it is ?

Actually, I have found some fabulous shoes to wear with AFO's - not very fancy, but the have three different sized innersoles which can be removed to provide extra room for the othotic to fit. I love them, as otherwise my shoes always feel tight with my AFO sitting in them.

here is a link to them - they are designed for diabetics who of course suffer from neuropathy, which makes them great shoes for anyone with neuropathy or those who need extra room in their shoes for orthotics.

http://www.instrideshoes.com/

Next time I have any spare cash (like that is going to happenen anytime soon) I am going to buy a second pair as i have just a plain basic black pair. They work better than ordinary trainers are they have more space inside the shoe with the extra insoles removed.

best of luck with your splint - you may find you have to break them in and let your skin get used to being splinted all the time, so watch out for sore spots on your skin and take evasive action before you get a blister.

cheers

raglet

Thank you for sharing ! The links are great to take a peak !
Mary

The laces are a pain, I would prefer velcro honestly as the way it is designed I have to unlace it almost completely to get my foot it in correctly. I am sure there is a breaking in period but it is fairly comfortable. It fits inside my shoes, although I have to take the insole out of it. The only other thing about it is it squeeks. The leather against the shoe makes a squeeking sound when I walk that the students in my class find very amusing.

I have been developing a foot drop and loss of strength in ankle muscles from the peripheral neuropathy. The doctor anticipates that I will have to have both feet braced eventually. But the weakness is most severe on my left side.

Right now I am just glad to be out of a boot cast, and be able to get around easier with less pain.

Oh the squeaky shoe problem. I have one pair of shoes that squeak if I put my AFO's inside them - I have no clues why, they just do (squeak, I mean).

But other shoes I wear with my splint don't squeak, so it is no surprise that I don't wear the squeaky shoes any more. Pity really, as I like those shoes.

I have also shopped around and managed to buy a pair of sandals that will hold the AFO's reasonably well as I hate wearing covered in shoes in the summer.

Generally I just stick to my asics trainers and my instride shoes as they seem to work best for me. I figure that wearing AFO's gives me licence to break any dress code that I may run into, and it does seem to work that way. Heck I'd go to a ball in my trainers under my ballgown, though I can't see me in a ballgown (I am the jeans and t-shirt type).

I think my next step is going to be a KAFO (knee ankle foot) as the nerve damage in my hip has destabilized both my hip and my knee, but I will try and put that off for as long as possible as that obviously involves pretty much the entire leg.

It's always great to have someone to chat about orthotics with ......

cheers

raglet

Good for you! This will be so much better for you! I need to go and get a new one, but I think here in Saskatchewan, we may be abit behind in the technology, have not seen one that looks like yours. Hope it works well for you!

I just read this (actually about KAFO's) and thought of you and your squeaky shoe. I guess they mean dust the orthotic, not the inside of the shoe, it doesn't actually say.

It also means that hopefully I will be able to start wearing the shoes that I gave up on because I got sick of the squeaks!

Here's to squeak free walking

cheers

raglet
squeak squeak

thanks for the tip, I will try this!