Re: fully comfortable in braces?

[Guest guest]

Sounds good; Lainie, I am having such a hard time with the braces. I have really

just started using them, but I am so slow and feel so unbalanced when walking,

but ok when standing. Do I just need to be more patient? How long until you felt

fully comfortable in them? How are you doing with the new ones? Should be over

to your side of the state by end of summer, so can't wait to meet you!

Jackie

[Guest guest]

Group..........

I will be getting my new shoes and me metal braces very soon. I'm not very

excited never wanted metal braces, the thought of them being heavy. Can't uses

AFOs, that would have been my choice but I break out from them along with being

made wrong as well as my shoes. AFOs were way to hot even wearing them with

shoes, I was always wet from knees to toes. I worry about the metal braces being

cumbersome and not very comfortable. Have not had very good luck with dressing

my feet and legs and wonder what this new adventure is going to bring.

Geri -- Hope this is not to negative!

[Guest guest]

Geri

I hope it works out well for you.

Laine

[Guest guest]

Jackie,

I am so sorry to hear that about your braces, NO I don't think it's you, I've

always said they are great for standing in one spot without holding on to

anything, but for walking it was difficult. My new braces are much more

comfortable, but I think I have a little less balance, there is always a flippen

trade off.

I don't think I was ever that comfortable in them. I always lived in fear when I

came to the tiny-ist decline in a sidewalk that I would go flying but please

remember I do have weak quads . The Helios did make it a little easier to go up

hill (and by no means do I mean a Hill)

I just don't know anymore, but I am glad I tried the Custom composites We are

all so different,it's just hard to tell what will work for someone.

I hope it gets better for you. My new # is 561-620-3889 I really hope we get to

meet. If anyone ever would like to call as always Please do.

Thank You

Lainie

[Guest guest]

Geri,

I think you will find the newer metal braces to not be that bad. They

are using alloys of metals to make them lighter than the older braces

were and they are stronger. I have both metal and plastic braces. The

metal ones are much cooler in hot sticky weather. There is less skin

contact. That's where the hot and sticky comes in in most plastic

braces. Also metal braces have better ankle joints so they can be

easier to walk in too. Also since the brace attaches to the heels of

your shoes, there is nothing inside your shoe. That makes it easier to

find shoes to wear. So I bet you find metal braces to be better than

you might have thought. The plastic braces I like, the ones Wade Bader

makes, are made like metal braces with large cutouts in the back and

sides to lessen skin contact. I am seeing more and more metal braces

here due to our hot and sticky summers. I bet you will find them to be

pretty good.

Bob

[Guest guest]

Thanks Laine

Re: Re: fully comfortable in braces?

Geri

I hope it works out well for you.

Laine

[Guest guest]

Thanks BOB

Re: fully comfortable in braces?

Geri,

I think you will find the newer metal braces to not be that bad. They

are using alloys of metals to make them lighter than the older braces

were and they are stronger. I have both metal and plastic braces. The

metal ones are much cooler in hot sticky weather. There is less skin

contact. That's where the hot and sticky comes in in most plastic

braces. Also metal braces have better ankle joints so they can be

easier to walk in too. Also since the brace attaches to the heels of

your shoes, there is nothing inside your shoe. That makes it easier to

find shoes to wear. So I bet you find metal braces to be better than

you might have thought. The plastic braces I like, the ones Wade Bader

makes, are made like metal braces with large cutouts in the back and

sides to lessen skin contact. I am seeing more and more metal braces

here due to our hot and sticky summers. I bet you will find them to be

pretty good.

Bob

[Guest guest]

Laine,

I am not going to give up, but I am so nervous when walking anywhere outside of

the house, and I have never felt like that before. It is great for standing! I

have very weak quads also, have been told that they are nearly paralyzed. I

wonder if the next set of braces should be ones that go above the knee, since

the knee is what is so weak. Well, still fighting with insurance to get these

paid for! Do you find you are walking better, faster with the new ones?

We will definately meet! I am desperate to meet women as I have not really met

anyone on the west coast and I miss my girlfriends so much, plus I know we have

so much in common!

Jackie

[Guest guest]

Lanie,

If you are interested, there is an ankle support that is not a brace. I'm

referring everyone to this guy. He makes the ankle supports and there is no

brace underneath. It is good because you can feel the ground beneath your feet

there is only the support around your ankle and there are laces that attach to

your shoe and pull your foot back into dorsiflexion.

There is someone on that is using the electric stimulation on ankles and I

think they said it's working. I tried the TENS unit one time, that is the only

time I got to use it while at my one PT session.

Anyway, they said that it would not be a permanent solution but interesting

enough, they are now marketing this thing so people can walk without the foot

drop. I just got a Dr. that would not say he would prescribe it for me because

he didn't think it would help. Well, he kind of said the same thing, that it

wouldn't help that much. I don't think he's in my shoes, or I should say in my

feet and ankles.

I would like to have something like that so I don't have the foot drop. If

anyone has this, let me know how you got it. Did you just act persistent with

the doctor? Well, Re: the ankle supports, let me know if you need more

information on them.

Dawn

[Guest guest]

My husband finds his metal braces a lot more comfortable than the plastic ones.

He still doesn't like to wear them because it's too much of a hassle to put them

on.

Elinor

[Guest guest]

Hello All,

I wear the plastic AFOs with a leather buckle strap, rather than velcro. I was

told they were better for support. I started with one AFO and then graduated to

bilateral. I was told that metal braces were an option, but plastic were more

cosmetically appealing, obviously I went with that - my problem is that between

the shape and width of my foot and the AFO, I am very limited to one PW. Minor

shoe and one style. They both have rocker bottom soles. I'm

wondering if it is really any worse wearing the metal braces attached to one

style shoe, as they are less hot from what I understand.

I have worried for awhile now about being cosmetically appealing, but the way I

walk even with my braces is not going to win me a prize for grace! Also, I feel

as though my plastic braces are heavy. Are the metal ones worse or about the

same?

So ladies, how do you feel? What is your opinion on metal vs. plastic?

Kim

[Guest guest]

Thanks Elinor..hope I will like mine... and be able to walk.I need to walk..got

measured for a wheelchair...mine is so bad! Tires showing through and to small.

Got to pay $200 copay. I don't have it.

Geri

[Guest guest]

Kim,

I think you will find today's metal braces are not that heavy. I don't

notice a difference really. The metal ones are definitely cooler in

warm weather. You can have several pairs of shoes that will work with

your metal braces. They put a metal channel in the heels of your shoes

and the ends of the braces slide in and out of that. My orthotist

tells me that metal braces are becoming more and more popular here due

to the hot sticky summers we have here. Used to be the only group

where plastic braces were more popular was among kids. Lately I have

seen teenagers with metal braces so that shows how good metal braces

must be. Try them I bet you will like them.

Bob

[Guest guest]

Bob,

Thank you for the information. I will discuss with my orthotist at my next

appointment in a few weeks. I had no idea the metal ones were interchangeable -

very interesting!

Kim

[Guest guest]

Kim,

A word of warning. Some orthotists try to talk their customers out of

metal braces coming up with reasons like they are heavier, no, the

plastic ones look better, not sure about that, and who knows what.

Part of this comes from a profit motive.

Metal braces are made from components made by other companies. Plastic braces

are made almost completely in house, thus having more profit potential. Both

usually cost the same to the patient so you can see why some orthotists push the

plastic ones a little too hard.

Another problem is todays orthotist usually don't wear braces themselves. In the

50's and 60's lots of orthotists did. They came out of the polio generation and

being an orthotist seemed a normal career choice. The main result is todays

orthotists don't know what works and what doesn't or what feels the best. They

just assume that any pair of shoes will work with plastic braces and they should

feel fine even in hot weather.

So give them a try and see what you think and yes they are interchangable among

shoes that have channels in the heels.

Bob