WalkAide

[Guest guest]

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