Braces and orthos

[Coslet]

I’m curious what you guys are using to help you get around. I’ve tried a ton of different braces and custom orthos to help me walk a d get around. One of the biggest issues I deal with it the toe drag. I also deal with feet that have flatten and roll inward. I’m lucky to have a good friend who is a PT and let’s me try all of his equipment and let’s me go through all his resources looking for braces. One thing that has helped me is a brace that attaches on the outside of the shoe and at the top of my calves.

The brace is called Xtern. It gets the toe up as soon as you pick up the foot.

[jolocny Volunteer]

You're so lucky to have a PT friend! I would've loved this type of brace! In the past I've used elastic "additions" to lift my toes, braces to straighten my ankles, forearm crutches. Now I'm in a wheelchair, mostly due to having broken bones in one foot. All were to be worn inside my shoes - another problem to find shoes wide enough!

How do you like this brace?

[Coslet in reply to jolocny]

I like it for one foot. I have them for both but my left foot has a collapsed arch so I don’t wear it much for that one. When I do I have a lace up ankle wrap and a custom arch support. I’ve got a custom AFO that is made of carbon fiber. It allows my leg muscles to take the strain off my foot. It also is made to give my foot help in getting the toe up. Probably getting one for the right foot soon because of the weakness in my ankle. I try everything at least once in hopes of finding that perfect fit. I hate this page won’t let you load more than one pic to a post. I have several braces that have helped along the way. May get them all in one pic and label them 🤔

[aaa291 in reply to Coslet]

Hi There,

I have the same problem flat foot falling inward (it’s called PTTD) I had now my 3rd brace in 5 years, they are good for lifting the foot (drop foot) but I find them uncomfortable, I have a narrow foot size 9 (us) and needed to get wide shoes size 10 for the brace, I also has orthotics for flat feet, so I don’t use the brace so often, what helps me more for the PTTD is the rap around belts, I find they help more with the inward dropping of the foot then the brace, but won’t lift the foot (toe) like the brace.

It’s my biggest issue as I have lots of paint from that foot and it’s also affecting my balance, back pain and the left side arm & neck as I lean more on the Cain to compensate for the weakness of the right foot (with the pttd).

Another problem is to find shoes, I keep buying, trying at home, and then later find out that it’s not supporting my foot anymore.

One more thing about the brace,

About a year ego I started to have a strong pain from my hernia (same side of the brace) when I walk with the brace, I thought I heart it again as I had a surgery there 15-20 years ego, went to check it out and everything was ok, then I asked a friend of mine who is a neurologist and he told me that it’s because of the brace, he said that by putting the brace on, It moves everything in body around and that’s why I got the pain,

Whether it’s good or not ? We can’t tell, apparently there is no answer for this problem, no such 100% solution, so it’s up to us to decide what’s better for us, with what problem/ pain we want to choose to live with.

I hope i didn’t confuse you too much. Lol

All the best