AFO's


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ok, so i walk with a limp from my stroke. so i got an AFO and it does help 90% of the time!! buuuut my friend who's studying to be a doctor said that it's ok to wear, just don't over due it. he's correct in that i don't need it all the time. i wear it for a few days and for some odd reason, i'm set for about a week of non-AFO use! it's kinda cool...

 

so even when i was fitted for the AFO, the foot guy told me not to wear this 100% of the time. what have you people heard or know of? any insight?

 

thanks!

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ok, so i walk with a limp from my stroke. so i got an AFO and it does help 90% of the time!! buuuut my friend who's studying to be a doctor said that it's ok to wear, just don't over due it. he's correct in that i don't need it all the time. i wear it for a few days and for some odd reason, i'm set for about a week of non-AFO use! it's kinda cool...

 

so even when i was fitted for the AFO, the foot guy told me not to wear this 100% of the time. what have you people heard or know of? any insight?

 

thanks!

Hi JB 27 years ago after the stroke I was told to wear my brace all the time but when I started wearing it that much, there came a day when my ankle was so weak I could not walk without it. I then started wearing it when I had to wear shoes. In the house I walked barefoot without the brace. I found doing this strengthened my ankle. As long as you are safe walking without it I say go for it. The doctors will tell you to wear it in case you have a fall and want to sue them.Also, some AFOs correct drop foot so if drop foot is your problem it is probably safer to wear it. Its a matter of personal preference, I think. My opinion,

 

mc

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Please dont go by me. I am stubborn and defiant which has been good in some cases but i think bad in others.

 

I have the same experience as Mc described and I just plain hate the thing. I do have drop foot but it seems I have a more natural gait when I do not use it all the time. The PT told me I have to wear it anytime I walk but he also said at first he didnt want me walking outside--only in the house because the ground wasnt level. shoot, he might as well have opened the door and kicked me out it!

 

My knee gets weak and my ankle too so I have to put it on a few days. I let my leg tell me when to wear it. I just smile and nod at everyone else.

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hi JBram:

 

I am also strongheaded though my doctor told me to wear all the time going outside. I stopped wearing outside thinking how will I give my ankle chance to strengthen, if I wear all the time, but ofcourse by not wearing it outside I have encountered some falls too & in my last fall I had foot fracture, which is taking long time to heal though good thing I am not in any pain. but I think to be on safe side wear AFO outside when you are walking on uneven surface versus don't wear it inside the house so you can give your ankle chance to strengthen. though ofcourse you have to look at your situation & decide what worka best for you.

 

Asha

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My knee gets weak and my ankle too so I have to put it on a few days. I let my leg tell me when to wear it. I just smile and nod at everyone else.

 

 

 

 

I think i'm going to try this route, thanks!

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ok, so i walk with a limp from my stroke. so i got an AFO and it does help 90% of the time!! buuuut my friend who's studying to be a doctor said that it's ok to wear, just don't over due it. he's correct in that i don't need it all the time. i wear it for a few days and for some odd reason, i'm set for about a week of non-AFO use! it's kinda cool...

 

so even when i was fitted for the AFO, the foot guy told me not to wear this 100% of the time. what have you people heard or know of? any insight?

 

thanks!

I think the best response Ii ever read on this was on a post by Peter Levine:

http://recoverfromstroke.blogspot.com/2010/11/make-them-walk-funny-and-look-lousy-in.html

I went for a year without an AFO and then after a fall I used it again but that actually started causing other problems. I wore a hole in the toe of my left shoe because I wasn't able to lift my toes against the AFO, now my gait is even worse trying to clear the shoe and AFO. Two reasons for your AFO, drop foot and ankle inversion. I can control my inversion if I wear shoes. I don't have any doctors anymore so my patient is getting lousy advice. :yadayada:

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as each stroke is different so is the recovery of that person. i have drop foot really bad from my stroke and have worn my afo for 9 years. i have had numerous pt to help with strengthening of my ankle, ive also had knee problems in the past, but that was from my ankle instability as well along with an injury, if i did not wear my afo i would be down smelling the carpet. constantly. my dr and therapist told me i need to wear mine all the time. i have had 4 braces over the years and just recently i was given a new one to wear, its not as rigid as my other one but i did not feel supported enough wearing it so i went back to my other one. i also have had numerous falls not because of the brace, i might add. i just have a very unstable affected leg, much of my muscle has atrophied in my leg but i continue to do my exercises to build it back up. i buy my shoes a size larger and wider to accommodate the brace and it works for me. the therapist i have now told me to use it as long as i need to, i would love to get rid of it but i know my leg better than anyone and i will continue it until i feel safe without it, walking outside without it is a fall waiting to happen. its not the prettiest thing, but safety is more important to me. i have heard there is a surgery they can do to help with the drop foot by a specialist in florida i think. but its a long recovery and painful so i wouldn't even consider it. surgery after a stroke only increases your risks of a blood clot. 1 clot stroke was enough for me. so i guess it depends on the patient for use of an afo. whatever you decide, just be safe, falls are not a good thing or the injuries you get after one, i broke 5 ribs after one of my falls, now that is a long and painful recovery.

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hmm thanks for sharing... i've had my share of falls, but from being cavalier more-so than smart... getting dressed is the main culprit! sometimes i can balance on that leg, most of the time i cannot. :)

 

i just hate the way it looks to be honest.... yeah yeah i had a stroke, lucky to be alive...... but i'm the one who has to deal with the wandering eyes enough as it is. hmmmmm

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Guest furiawill

Please dont go by me. I am stubborn and defiant which has been good in some cases but i think bad in others.

 

I have the same experience as Mc described and I just plain hate the thing. I do have drop foot but it seems I have a more natural gait when I do not use it all the time. The PT told me I have to wear it anytime I walk but he also said at first he didnt want me walking outside--only in the house because the ground wasnt level. shoot, he might as well have opened the door and kicked me out it!

 

My knee gets weak and my ankle too so I have to put it on a few days. I let my leg tell me when to wear it. I just smile and nod at everyone else.

IT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT THE AFO IS GOOD FOR FOOT DROP, BUT TO KEEP THE KNEE FROM SNAPPING BACK I USE A K.A.F.O. AND IT REALLY HELPS IN MY WALKING AND MY GAIT.

-WILL

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  • 3 months later...

I have been wearing my AFO ever since I had a stroke in 2001. I tried walking without it after ditching my quad cane a couple years later but one day I was rushing through the house and tripped on the runner and sprang my ankle. I was wearing my thick socks in my tennis shoes walking on carpet so this was not very smart. The result was me being in a wheelchair for 3 days because I cant use crutches with only my good hand. After this I wore my brace ALL the time until I took my bath and got in bed. Over the last 5 years I have grown accustomed to only wearing my brace when I am going somewhere. I walk through my house barefoot. I do lose my balance sometimes and have foot drop plus my knee tries to pop back sometimes so I just try to be careful

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I wore an AFO for 4.5 yrs. I have inversion and foot drop. But my knee is ok and I kept telling my pt folks I didn't think I needed it up to my knee. Of course, they argued and blah. :blah_blah: .. Finally I convinced one of them and an ortho/brace-maker guy to try a shorter brace on me. It works great! It only goes to just above my ankle bone and under my foot. So it's for my two problems and not a generic one they make EVERYONE wear. I am hoping my calf muscle comes back cuz it has atrophied with the bigger brace....I also have numbness on inside of my leg...but NOW my knee is very happy with more freedom of movement + a feeling of usefulness it didn't have in the taller AFO. I think more pt/ortho peeps need to listen to us as individuals and stop thinking of us as a generic group. Sometimes these "fixes" cause more problems...gOD KNOWS WE DON'T NEED ANY MORE!!! they need to see and :yeahrite: treat us as individual patients...and listen to us....dang it!

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