Re: orthotics vs. AFOs..Sameer

[Guest guest]

Sameer:

I too walk on the outside edges of my feet... I have a very high

arch and small foot and it seems most of my foot is made up of the outside

edge.. In shoe orthotics do help a lot with this.. support the arch and make me

feel like I have more of a foot.. The only problem with mine is that they are

bulky and hard to fit in most shoes.. I am hoping to get some new, thinner ones

made in the near future..

I forgot to say that when I did wear AFOs they were great in that

it felt like I had attached motors to my legs! I could walk really fast with

almost no effort.. The down side though, as I said before, was a greater

atrophy of all my calf muscles.. I also found that once you start wearing AFO's

your body can quickly become dependent on them.. Balance can get worse without

thm too as lower legs get used to relying on the AFO for stability.. If

stability and falls are a big issue, this is necessary though.

Good luck. I hope whatever you do works well for you. For me, a few years of

going to the gym and in shoe orthotics have helped to regain some of that

balance and fitness. (going to the gym helps me walk a lot faster)

Peace, Marti