Follow-up to MDA Clinic appointment

[Guest guest]

Gretchen;

I talked to you several months ago about my getting a referral to Dr.

at the MDA clinic in San Francisco. I met with Dr. in February.

Although Dr. didn't spend much time with me (he had another Dr. do the

preliminaries) I was really impressed with being at a facility that specializes

in diseases like ÇMT.

There were two major outcomes from the visit. Dr. suggested that I have

an MRI of my spine to rule out pinched nerves. He said that I had several

symptoms that are not classic CMT. One was my inability to crouch down and get

back up. The second outcome was the PT had be try on a pair of carbon graphite

AFOs.

I can still walk fairly well, but I drop my foot and the PT said this could lead

to joint problems and I also used a lot of energy just walking. I received my

AFOs a week ago and they are incredible. They are made by Camp Scandinavia and

are basically springs. They are called ToeOFF (for more info go to

www.campscandinavia.se) They store energy when you put your heel down and give

it back when you push with your toes. They are ultralight, fit in my existing

shoes, don't touch the foot. They fit under the shoe insert. The heel is open

to allow normal pronation. They have two padded velcro

straps at the ankle and calf. My stride is back to near normal and walking is

effortless. I hiked the second day I had them and normally I can hardly standup

when I finish, but this time I felt great. I also used much less energy. They

also allow me to stand still and walk across uneven surfaces. So far they have

been very comfortable and they are not custom made.

If this is not informative because it has been covered before, I appologize. If

you would like more info let me know. This is a great site.

Fred