Re: AFOs can and do help! AFOS are not temporary

[Guest guest]

Something was misunderstood here. AFOs do help big time when you

need them. But as long as you can stay out of them its better to stay out of

them. My 4 yr old needed them as well. He is 14 now and his leg looks just like

his AFO. Meaning he has atrophied everywhere else on his leg not just his CMT

effected muscles.

As a scientific fact if you don't use a muscle you loose it. Of course AFOs are

braces and the braces do the work instead of the muscle. The original question

was will AFOs make a person weaker? Yes they will make a person weaker.

Unfortunately those of us with CMT do not always have the option of staying out

of a brace.

If AFOs made a person stronger they would be temporary. I wonder how many CMT

people have ever been able to get out of them? If you can

stay out of them or wear them part time do it as long as you can.