Anyone wear AFO's?

[Hitman_Leon]

What's the key mobility benefit of the dynamic walk versions over the bog standard? My Dad uses a standard one following foot drop after a botched hop replacement. Would he be likely to see significant improvements in mobility?

With the old standard types the shin/ankle/foot are held in place with very little give or energy loading from your movement. Dynamic type AFO's load as you move walking, as you push off the ground with your toes the load built in the AFO as it flexes, the spring like action helps you walk better. This action also works at heal strike. The energy loading besides helping with the basic movement of walking by giving power passively back into the leg also helps with hip hike. That is lifting your leg higher at the hips to compensate for the foot being held lower to stop you tripping.

I really would not be able to say how or weather these could benefit your dad. I've been to so many professionals had markers placed all over me and had my walking analysed by motion sensors and video to get to the point I am at now where I only need to see an orthotist.

Your dad should ask his orthotist or if he's not currently under one ask his GP, don't whatever you do buy some off the peg because your dad might end up with either more problems or even have an accident and get hurt.

do you need crutches too or do these let you walk ok unaided beyond the afo?

I walk unaided except for the AFO's, they really do a good job.

Out of interest, how would you define your experience walking with a set of these? I presume you *became* paralysed? How does it compare to natural walking?

They feel like tight socks when I first put them on in the morning, I can remember walking without AFO's but it's a bit vague now being that it's so long ago I can't really compare the two experiences. With the old style AFO's you could feel weight around your leg, the carbon fiber AFO's are so light you don't even notice. After about 20 minutes of wearing them I forget they are there, no sense of weight or anything, unless I tightened a strap too tight by accident.

Paralysis was due to a type of muscular dystrophy that really hit hard as I hit my teens.

 

[Hitman_Leon]

My daughter uses them Hitman, she has low muscle tone and is unable to walk, but does standing exercises to maintain her joints, during these sessions she wears her AFO's

she has them custom made to fit, and wears her training shoes over them, she hates them as they make her legs sweat underneath

I can understand her hating them if they are the old style one's, they are terrible for making legs sweat. Will she have to use them permanently or is it something that can be treated and improve as she gets older?

 

[Hitman_Leon]

I use the basic ones the hospital gave me. I have HNPP. A genetic condition inherited from my father. I have to wear mine for a few weeks at time when my ankles get weak or I'm going out for a big walk or cycle. I do feel a bit like Forest Gump though and am so tempted to try and break out of them while trying to run lol.

Worth asking your orthotist to try you in some Ossur Dynamic's, you really don't feel hemmed in like the old style AFO's.

 

[Hitman_Leon]

My daughter uses them Hitman, she has low muscle tone and is unable to walk, but does standing exercises to maintain her joints, during these sessions she wears her AFO's

she has them custom made to fit, and wears her training shoes over them, she hates them as they make her legs sweat underneath

You could ask if she could try carbon fiber AFO's if she does not already have them, the advantages being they are so much more comfortable than the older style AFO's. They also have the advantage of helping stop the loss of muscle tone by the way they move with the leg. As my orthotist told me they also can act to help strengthen muscles. I have no motor function below the knee but after using these AFO's for a couple of years I have actually gained some muscle bulk from the action of the AFO's as I walk.

They are available for children, Kiddie-Rocker is the children's version of the AFO's I'm going to try in the coming weeks.

 

[Edrof]

Severe arthritis in my right elbow meant I couldn't use the whole arm for about a year. The muscles disappeared and I had to learn to write with my left hand. The hospital measured me up for a pretty mean-looking black elbow orthosis and it was life-changing. It's a pain to wear but it helped my right arm to go from useless to almost normal again. I can even workout again (carefully). I rarely wear the orthosis any more.

 

[The_Abyss]

With the old standard types the shin/ankle/foot are held in place with very little give or energy loading from your movement. Dynamic type AFO's load as you move walking, as you push off the ground with your toes the load built in the AFO as it flexes, the spring like action helps you walk better. This action also works at heal strike. The energy loading besides helping with the basic movement of walking by giving power passively back into the leg also helps with hip hike. That is lifting your leg higher at the hips to compensate for the foot being held lower to stop you tripping.

I really would not be able to say how or weather these could benefit your dad. I've been to so many professionals had markers placed all over me and had my walking analysed by motion sensors and video to get to the point I am at now where I only need to see an orthotist.

Your dad should ask his orthotist or if he's not currently under one ask his GP, don't whatever you do buy some off the peg because your dad might end up with either more problems or even have an accident and get hurt.

Thank you - that's really helpful.

 

[Hitman_Leon]

Thank you - that's really helpful.

A guy who works with a friend of mine asked what it was I wore AFO wise as he knew I wore them. He had an accident and ended up with nerve damage in one of his legs that caused dropped foot. After he heard what I wear he asked his orthotist if he could try one because he had one of the old style AFO's. He was and still is really impressed with the difference the dynamic AFO made to him. It's definitely worth your dad seeing the right people to evaluate if his condition is suitable and he would benefit from the dynamic AFO.

If you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask, I will answer to the best of my own knowledge and experience of using AFO's.

 

[Hitman_Leon]

Seen my orthotist, tried the AFO's, the Dymanic Walk are useless to me, I have too much atrophy in my lower legs to be able to use them. The Blue-Rocker however make me feel like I have new legs, all the support and energy return I need to walk confidently. The drawback is I cannot use the standard Blue-Rocker.

On the AFO's I have the main support spar comes up the inside of the foot to the shin area, this never gave me any problem. The Blue-Rocker AFO's however have the main support spar coming up from the foot bed on the outside of the foot. This support spar rests against my 5th metatarsal on my right foot, it would be agony to walk more than a few steps.

As the Ossur Dynamic AFO's are no longer strong enough for me I need the Blue-Rocker AFO's to continue to be able to walk because the Ossur AFO's are bordering on dangerously unstable for me. The answer is custom made Blue-Rocker's, my orthotist is contacting the manufacturers for pricing details. He will then pitch my case to his manager who will put it forward to the health trust managers for consideration for funding. He says I have a good case but these things can go either way and they can refuse requests for custom made orthotics because the price is so high. So I just wait now and see what happens, if I get the funding approved, great! if not I'll have to ebay my soul or something because I refuse to have my ability to walk taken from me while there are options available.

 

[wilber]

I have some crappy light blue plastic one. After more than 30 minutes of wear it starts to rub the skin on my calf raw. It now lives under the stairs as it just too unuseable.

I also have a boxia foot AFO, much better than the other one but still uncomforatble/painful after long use, also have to wear shoes/trainers suitable for it which is also pain to find. It's manageable but cant wear my workboots so just end up wearing wellies for my outdoor work even in summer

NHS has been crap I most certainly feel my recovery has been damaged because of them. If I could afford to go private I would in a second.

 

[Hitman_Leon]

Is that one of those that fastens to your shoe, the Boxia one?

If you have problems with them you should go back to your orthotist for adjustment or replacement to something more suitable.

 

[wilber]

Is that one of those that fastens to your shoe, the Boxia one?

Yeah thats the one.

If you have problems with them you should go back to your orthotist for adjustment or replacement to something more suitable.

I originally had some big clumbersome one, I was then given the light blue plastic one, then the orginal Boxia one, i have since been given another 2 Boxia.

 

[kindai]

It stops him walking in circles because he has one leg longer than the other.

I just dribbled tea all over myself.... you just won the thread.

 

[Hitman_Leon]

I finally got my custom made AFO's in September 16, they are carbon fiber and kevlar. I've been learning to walk in them, still working on that, it takes time because they are so different to the one's I have used for the past few years. They took a long time to be made and the orthotics engineer came from London to meet me and have me try them during the process.

 

[Dis86]

Quite discrete! What's your gait like in them?

 

[Hitman_Leon]

Gait analysis will come later, getting use to the energy return properties and building technique in using them takes time, should be improvements in stability, balance, endurance and also muscle tone of the upper legs due to working against the higher resistance of these AFO's compared to the usual one's I wear.

 

[The_Abyss]

Great news. Can you share who arranged these for you?

 

[Hitman_Leon]

My orthotist pitched my case to the board of the NHS trust, after being given the approval for funding the AFO's were designed and made by a company called Orthotic Composites.