Re: metal braces

[Guest guest]

Ruth,

I wear metal braces (Double Uprights) now instead of the AFO. My feet both

turn to the outside. But they turn less with the uprights than they did with

the AFO. They attach in your shoe. What they do to mine is remove the bottom

sole, instert a metal plate length wise, attach the metal to the plate with

rivets. So it looks like a backward L. Replace the sole and up they go to

the calf with a strap that buckles around your calf. At the ankle section

there is another strap that wraps around and buckels. I love them. They are

so much easier to wear and less stress on my legs. I wear blue jeans all year

and they do not show. I wear them with dress pants and they do not show. I can

wear them with long skirts but do not wear skirts so that don't bother me.

When I get dressed up for a special occasion, its no big deal to me to wear

pants. Now I must admit I buy wide leg pants or a boot cut. Very comfortable

and my braces do not show accept for about an inch. Ya people know I have

braces on because I walk funny. No big deal to me. At least I am walking. And

thats what matters to me.

Elaine in Michigan

[Guest guest]

Elaine,

Does this mean that you only wear them with one pair of shoes or can you

alternate shoes?

Jackie

[Guest guest]

You can wear different pairs of shoes. The orthotist will put a channel in the

heel of your shoes for the brace to fit into. Then as long as you have the

channel in your shoes, you can wear your braces. My orthotist has told that he

can put a channel in just about any shoe that I want. I have tennis shoes,

hiking boots, dress shoes, and even cowboy boots. Give metal braces a try, I

bet you will like them.

Bob

[Guest guest]

Today I was in an apple computer store. I go there a good bit as I use apple in

my business. I noticed one of the emplyees, a guy, was wearing a new brace.

It was a metal brace. I had not seen him in a brace before. It was not

noticeable at all. I noticed it since I was wearing braces too. He did not seem

to have a problem wearing the new brace at all. I guess it was just another

example of how metal braces are becoming more popular here. We have hot

and humid summers and the plastic braces really become unbearable

quickly. Maybe this is helping this trend. Hope this gives some of you a

reason to give the metal braces a try.

[Guest guest]

Jackie,

No I can wear only the shoes they are on. Yes, you can have two pairs and

switch them back and forth. I did that a couple of years back, switching the

double upright between my shoes and my boots. But make sure they are about the

same width wise in style.

Elaine

[Guest guest]

Bob

I agree with you. I love my metal braces and wouldn't trade them. And from

the sounds of it, you also know that we can switch the bracing from shoe to

shoe. It was wonderful.

Elaine

[Guest guest]

Bob, metal braces have never been recommended to me by neuro or orthotist.

Do they stabilize ankles from rolling out and help with balance the way the

rigid plastic ones do?

Thanks,

K.

[Guest guest]

K.,

Metal braces are the same as plastic braces. They are used for the same

things. I prefer them because they are much more comfortable to wear. I also

find that there are many more types of shoes that I can wear with them vs the

tennis shoes and hiking boots that work with my plastic ones. I've tried all of

the different types of the plastic ones and always come back to metal. In my

city, the orthotists are putting more people in metal braces than they were

before due to people requesting them.I'm afraid some orthotists resist them

from a profit motive. They have to buy the parts for the metal braces where

they make most of the plastic braces in their shop from relatively cheap

materials, sheets of plastic.

Bob

[Guest guest]

Bob, I too wear the metal braces, they are called double uprights. They are

heavier than a AFO but much much more comfortable to wear and yes they are

connected right to the shoes. They are keeping me from walking on the sides of

my feet. Without them I would not be walking. And they do not rub on the skin.

I had to give up the AFOs because they were no longer working for me. The

metal braces are working fine and I have had them for close to 4 years now.

Elaine in Michigan

[Guest guest]

Elaine in Michigan,

I like my metal braces too. Much cooler and easier to wear. Here in

Memphis we have hot sticky summers.Metal braces are becoming the brace

of choice here. I saw a teenager in a mall with metal AFOs in some

tennis shoes recently. Teenagers can be really picky, so if he was

wearing them they must be good. I wanted to talk to him but didn't. I

just bet he tried plastic braces and gave up on them. He was walking

really well in the braces so I'm not sure what he needed them for,

prob CMT.

Bob

[Guest guest]

My husband's metal braces [attached to shoes with a duplicate of his foot

doohickeys in them he inserts in his shoes when he doesn't wear the braces] are

much more comfortable than his old ones; however, he still doesn't want to

use them because it is a hassle to put them on. His lower legs have wasted

away even though he refused to get braces for years when the doctor first

suggested them. It may not be that braces accelerate deterioration but the

individual progress of the disease. His first braces were plastic and fit into

his

shoes. They did move at the ankles.

BTW what is the difference between AFOs and braces?

Elinor

[Guest guest]

Hi Bob,

I had an appointment today to look at shoe and braces..first of all there is a

problem with shoes and Medicare! There isn't any in my size and Medicare wont

pay for custom made shoes ...anyone have any answers. I need new braces after

have plastic braces for umpteen years, but haven't been wearing them for two

years...Reason, to hot and my legs broke out from sweating profusely, wet ALL

the time.The advice is metal braces...after I find shoes! LOL..My feet are as

wide as long size 1 1/2..All these years of wearing my old shoes...and haven't

been able to walk the last five years or so. Found out my shoes were all wrong,

one being built up far to high causing my knee to go out of joint ...I'm so MAD!

I tried to tell them but know one would do anything...Going to try to build up

my muscles now and see if I will be able to walk again. What long struggle that

is going to be!

Geri

[Guest guest]

Geri,

What about children's orthopedic shoes? A brand like Markell might

have something you could wear and would work well for metal braces.

It's worth a try these are made for kids who need braces or have other

conditions. A good orthotist should be able to get these for you.

Markell has a website, look that up.

Bob

[Guest guest]

Bob,

I checked that web site...looks like they are out of everything! I have not had

any luck with children's shoes because they are not wide enough.

Geri

[Guest guest]

I'm not happy! I still don't like my new metal braces and shoes they weigh a ton

and are so cumbersome..would like to hear from others that have metal braces.

Had to get shoes larger then what I take I feel and look like a klutz....I could

cry they are so big and ugly!

Geri

[Guest guest]

Geri,

I like my metal braces. Why did you have to get larger sized shoes?

The braces should fit in channels in your heels which means you can

buy the size shoe you really need. I know I do. With plastic braces I

have to be careful what shoes I get or get them a size larger. Plus

metal braces are much cooler in hot weather.

Where I live, Memphis, with our hot humid summers, metal braces are definitely

becoming the brace of choice among adults and some teens.

Maybe your orthotist didn't do a good job of making yours. That could be the

cause of your problems because most people with metal braces don't have the

problems you are describing.

Bob

[Guest guest]

Bob,

Medicare won't pay for shoes that have to be made custom I take a wide one and a

half shoe..feet as long as they are wide..I'm tripping all over the place and

they are so heavy. The braces cannot be removed to put in another shoe any way I

can't buy reg shoes none of them fit my feet.....I'd say the shoes weigh 5-6 lbs

with the braces.

Geri

[Guest guest]

Geri,

Your orthotist didn't do a great job, it sounds like. Way back in the

60's the latest thing was installing a channel in the heels of your

shoes so your brace could be inserted there. That way you could use

your braces with any pair of shoes that had the channels. I have

several pairs. I wasn't talking about custom shoes, those are

expensive. Have you looked at P W Minor? They make great orthopedic

shoes that work great with braces. They even make orthopedic combat

boots for the armed forces. I have 2 pairs of them, one for the

plastic braces and the other for metal ones. One pair is the black

ones and the other the desert suede.

PW Minor will also make any of their shoes any color you want for a very minimum

charge. My braces and shoes aren't near as heavy as you say yours are. I don't

think your orthotist did a good job for you. Also there are numerous alloys that

can be used to make them lighter. Maybe he didn't know that much about metal

braces and took the easy way out.

Bob

[Guest guest]

Bob,

Medicare will not pay for shoes or braces unless it is connected to the shoe and

then one has to prove that you are a diabetic,to get the shoes paid for.

The site that you gave me still does not have my size..I take a I-- 1/2 extra

wide. A Childs shoe will not fit. The only success I have had is custume made

shoes in the past and Medicare will not pay for that. Therefore I had to get

shoes that were too big or none at all...also one of them needs a lift as one

leg is shorter then the other...Mail order will not work for me.........Thanks

for trying to help..

Geri

[Guest guest]

Geri,

Wouldn't it still be considered connected to your shoes if the brace

was installed in a channel in your heels? I would think so. This is

not new. It has been done like this for many years. It allows you to

have changes of shoes. The P W Minor brand of shoes are orthopedic and

made for use with braces. They are prices very similar to regular

shoes too.

Bob

[Guest guest]

My husband finds his metal braces hurt less than the plastic ones because they

touch him in fewer places. He had the plastic ones readjusted many times.

They are some kind of light weight metal, maybe titanium.

Elinor

[Guest guest]

Geri

I can completely empathize with not being able to find shoes; I wear a

2 very wide. I don't have AFOs, at least not yet. I have one pair of

shoes that I had made for me; one pair of New Balance (some of the

kids shoes come in extra wide, and then I had the company stretch them

out even more), and some crocs.

It's too bad that PW Minor and some of the other companies only carry

adult sizes. Just a thought; is Stride-Rite still around? I wonder if

they have extra wide shoes for kids. It's so VERY hard to find WIDE

kids shoes.

Maybe someone else will have an idea. I hope you can get things worked

out.

Nina P

[Guest guest]

Geri,

What about Markell that is one of the last children's orthopedic shoe

companies. They might make something you can wear. I know they make

all the way up to adult sizes in a few styles.

Bob

[Guest guest]

try looking here http://www.zappos.com/wide.zhtml?

they seem to have children's extra wide shoes

jackie

[Guest guest]

Thanks Jackie, I will look at that site.

Geri