Guest guest Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 Has anyone tried WalkAide? I was tested for it and it worked on me, even though Scope Orthotics said if I had CMT my neural pathway would probably fail to receive the signal. They were shocked. It is a device that is placed under your knee and it is for people who suffer from drop foot. It acts like your brain in that it sends an electrical current through the tibial area on the front leg and when one walks it shoots out a volt that makes the foot rise. It is not painful but will definitely take some getting used to. It acts like a part of the brain that sends messages from the nerves to the muscles. Somewhere along the way, in people who have foot drop, the message gets lost. It was designed for stroke victims, people with MS, and those who have suffered trauma of some sort. The fact that the signal came through for me is a mystery. The downside of this amazing device is that it is super expensive (approx. $5,000) and insurance does not cover it. There is a rival device made by Biogenises(sp.?) which works by blue tooth. It is $7,000 but you can have it for a month on a trial basis for $250.00. I am being fitted for that one next week because I feel it is worth spending $250.00 to see if it truly works. My biggest complaint with CMT is back pain that I live with on a daily basis, due to my gait. It is NOT a cure...one has to wear it when walking and it runs on a AA battery. Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about this type of orthotic. WalkAid can be worn barefoot since it is placed under the knee on a velcro strap. The other device has a heel device, so a shoe must be worn...no sandals. BUT neither require a bigger shoe or restricts one to wearing a tennis shoe only. Karon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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