I'm kinda surprised that no one reported back when I noted a symptom-alleviation device on this forum.
It would have been gratifying to hear that the Temu massaging sandals helped anyone. I personally would have been interested to hear that the sandals DDN'T help, given how they have completely transformed my gait.
Why did no one report back please?
I know one person who I think tried the sandals. I think they said the sandals were loose and hard to walk in, but I am probably remembering wrong.
Dave,
You are correct. The sandals were loose enough that they could be a tripping hazard if I did any significant walking in them, and I was especially leery going downstairs in them. My gait issue isn't really balance. If I'm on my meds then I can even balance on one leg for 30 seconds or so while doing a quad stretch on the other leg. (As long as I focus my eyes on a single spot.)
My gait issue is that when my medicine wears off then my leg and foot contort into a kind of club foot where I look like I have cerebral palsy. (Does anybody else have this with their PD?) When I retire in January and have more time I may try walking in them more, to see if anything changes. However, I'm not sure if I'll be able to walk long enough before either my knee pain (ACL repair in 1985) or my hip pain from tight muscles due to PD stops me. I hope that this winter I will still be able to walk on the beach as I have been able to previous winters, but I always walk barefoot on the beach.
I sometimes wear the sandals when I am working at my desk, and they feel like a nice massage, but normally I just go barefoot in the house.
Chris
I am interested in what your ACL repair involved? How was it done? I completely understand your going barefoot in the house. My husband is the one with Parkinson's but I prefer going bare footed in the house always because I feel more balanced somehow
The ACL tear was on my right knee. The iliotibial band (IT band) normally runs down the outside of your leg and attaches to the outer side of the shinbone just below the knee joint. In my case, if you were standing in front of me, looking at my right knee as if it were a clock, then the doctor stabilized my knee by taking the IT band across the lower front of my knee and stapling it to my inner front shinbone at around 5:00 on the clock.
This worked well for over 30 years. I was able to do ballet and land from a grand jete without my knee going out on me. However, starting a year or so before I got diagnosed, then my knee was hurting so much that I couldn't do a plea when all my weight was on my right leg. One of my ballet teachers suggested that I stop doing the jumps and grand allegro until it got better. At the time I was taking 3 ballet classes a week, 2 hours each. The jumps and grand allegro basically act as HIIT (high intensity interval training). I think that my stopping the jumps and grand allegro probably accelerated my symptoms getting to the point where I realized that I had PD.
My knee has been shown to have bone on bone on the inside of my leg. I did PRP (platelet rich plasma) once. I also modify my weightlifting so that instead of doing fast squats or lunges, I just stay down in the squat or lunge longer to reduce the number of times my knee has to bend and straighten. I apply a red-light laser to it for an hour 5 days a week. I am trying to stimulate my own stem cells to regenerate cartilage. Since walking or running on surfaces available to me where I am now hurt my knee, I use a stationary bike to get my HIIT workout on the 5 days that I am not weightlifting.
I think that my gait issue actually exasperated my knee issue because the way my leg would contort it was pushing the bones on the inside of my knee together. I didn't take medication for three years. When I am on my meds then my gait looks normal. So, I hope that now that I am no longer putting as much unaligned stress on my knee that it might heal.
I was wondering if you had had something similar to what my husband had in the early 2000s. He had a damaged ACL and they used muscle fibers from his thigh as reinforcements. They removed some of the muscle and used a technique where they kind of buttoned it into the bone so it would function in a way to stabilize the knee. For several years the muscle would contract which was painful but then it settled down and it did seem to stabilize the knee. He does not however have the bone on bone situation. I am not sure what the technical name is for this technique. This was a rather new thing when it was done and since he had it done with his own muscle it seemed to go all right. There were some who had had donor muscle and that did not go well at all.
That's pretty cool the way they used his muscle to do the job of a ligament. I hadn't heard of that technique before.
Interesting that these sandals may help with other problems but I wasn't recommending a product for what it may do or because people might find it inherently comfortable: But rather because of the effect specifically on the One-Inch-Shuffle
My pwp was getting that clubbing in his feet and hands - he was put on CBD Oil with <04% THC and doesn't suffer with it anymore.
I have been taking about 40 mg of CBD oil every night for at least 4 years now to address anxiety due to PD. I don't think it's had any impact on my club foot. The club foot only happens when I try to walk when off medicine. The club happens when I lift my foot to take a step; it doesn't "cramp" into that position otherwise.
I found your post regarding the sandals fascinating, but I didn't try them because I don't have any balance or gait issues yet.
I appreciated your post and sharing of what obviously made a huge difference for you. I ordered a pair for my HWP and at the same time a pair for me (no PD, but knee/gait problems). Unfortunately my husband's foot doesn't quite fit through because he has a very high arch/wrist. I thought they're absolutely cool looking, both the black and white. It needed getting used to, but after some days I do feel very comfortable in them. My husband had a medical episode, but he might be able to fit in after I've worn them and slightly widened the band, so if we manage to fit his foot and see a difference with PD gait, I will let you know. Thanks for sharing.
I purchased a pair for PWP. She tried them for a while but sadly did nothing to improve her gait. Still they were dirt cheap and nothing ventured nothing gained. Thanks for the post Hugo.
I did order them from Temu found them loose and was unsure about walking in them (seemed more clumsy)I was reluctant to to wear them with my balance and gait problems.
Curious: My wife keeps commenting that the ones Temu sent me look too large. But to me, the effect is transformative whether they look too large or not.
Do let us know if you try them.
The effect is similar to that produced by lifting one foot in the air and holding it at a right angle to the other one for a few seconds: It seems to CURE balance problems but the effect (although it is a real effect, curing confidence issues) only lasts a few seconds. The sandals effect has thus far lasted a few weeks.
I never saw your post . Can you please post a link to the product?
I just checked and this is the current link
temu.com/mens---open-toe-br...
I now see that Temu has a number of similar products in this range (as well as there being this model on Amazon) but I havent figured out what gives them these powers. Is it the inherent springiness of the sole or possibly the height above the surface of these sandals which gives the confidence-boost that we all need to walk normally?
Interesting thanks
when I see these I think the massage aspect is good but maybe they would be a lot safer if they were a regular slip on type shoe because sandals seem to me like they give a lot more of a chance of the foot not staying in place which would make it harder if a person is having some walking issues in the first place
Well yes, but what I am saying is not that these are great or even that these are comfortable; but rather that these cure my one-inch-shuffle affliction that I suffer.
The regular shoe might have a similar effect but I don't know.
I DO know that these work so well that I bought from Temu (for $3) three pairs of what they call "massaging insoles" for use with other shoes and those insoles are just ordinary memory foam and while nice and comfortable etc etc DON'T have any of this ameliorating effect.
I like the idea of massaging insoles
Surely massaging insoles would need to be of such bulk that the shoe would have to be designed around them?
I'll bet that is why Temu only sell memory foam ones.
Bit of mucking around to get them. Not on Temu and Amazon wouldn't deliver this item down under so I got a friend to purchase a couple of pairs for my wife with PD. I was looking at more of a comfort/safe walking perspective rather than that stated in your original post. They duly arrived and she has been happy to wear same for the past few weeks. A good investment in my opinion. Mate has since purchased another 4 pairs for his family. Had to modify my wife's with a punch to accommodate a bunion on each foot. I believe it assists some of the balance aspect particularly after waking from a reasonably deep sleep. Cheers
One foot in front of the other.
On the lighter side Have you been to------?
Two Questions For You Ladies With PD!!!!
Since when did Parkinson's have a stage one ?
Has anyone with PD changed medication, when the initial one was not working? 
