Re: falls/tripping with AFOs

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone out there fall much even wearing an AFO? I am so frustrated,

wearing an AFO certainly doesn't keep me from tripping. Advice please. Thanks.

My poor knees.

Elaine

[Guest guest]

Elaine,

I do very well with AFO's, I never fell wearing them. My balance is very good so

as my walking. I had few bad falls while being around the house without them but

I'm very happy with them. I never go

anywhere without them.

I hope you will do well too.

spy

[Guest guest]

Elaine,

I had some problems walking when I just had an AFO on my left leg

and my right leg began to have problems. Once I got an AFO for my

right leg, too, I felt much more in balance. As the CMT progresses,

however, I still have to really pay attention when I'm walking,

especially over uneven territory or even up and down curbs.

[Guest guest]

My son Adam (16) falls all the time with his AFOs on. He falls more with them

off.

[Guest guest]

Elaine,

I wear braces all the time, just not to sleep.  I still fall all the time, just

less.  The worse it gets the more I fall.  I recently had to start using a

wheelchair for 1-2 hours after I wake up in the morning, as I am too weak in the

morning.  When I started wearing braces in 2003 they kept me from falling.  But

my neurologist said that eventually braces would not do the job.  He was right.

Lyn

[Guest guest]

An AFO won't guarantee better balance, but it helps. The balance issue

is a combination of faulty proprioception from damaged nerves in the

feet and and weakness in leg muscles to make quick adjustments. All an

AFO will do is prevent you from collecting a broken ankle/hip when you

do fall.

As you may know, I moved to Italy over health care issues and spent my

first 5 months here in physical therapy. The PT saw that I didn't have

complete footdrop in my left leg and realized that I could regain

sensation and strength with exercise.

We spent hours just manipulating the toes and ankle and I have

regained a lot of sensitivity in my foot. She worked on strengthening

my left leg, and while I can't go back to playing fly-half on the

local rugby team, I am much stronger.

To help with balance, we worked on a rocker board for a time and

graduated to a Freeman Board to the end. A Freeman Board in a 2-foot

disk with half a small sphere attached to the bottom. The smaller the

sphere, the harder is is to balance. Exercises started with what

Maggie the Cat opined what is the reward for a Cat staying on a Hot

Tin Roof -- " Just staying on, Baby! Just staying on! "

The final exercise is balancing and rotating the edge of the board

completely around.

As a special treat, she would throw a ball at me while balancing. I

use the word " at " advisedly as she threw so that I had to reach to

catch it.

So, what was the result of this 5 months of pleasure? I no longer wear

an AFO but have graduated to somewhat stylish demi-boots with

orthotics to keep my ankles from rolling.

Is my balance better? Yes. Am I stronger? Yes. Do I fall? No.

I don't fall because much to the dismay la my therapist, I

still use my forearm crutch when I leave the house.

The ground we walk on is not level, especially here in Rome with all

the cobblestones in the sidewalks.

I think it is stupid to accept falling as a matter of life. Put vanity

aside and use a cane or crutch to stay upright. To do otherwise is to

court broken bones and surgery, neither of which I recommend.

--Larry