The Queen of Optimism

This blog is getting quite a few clicks from search engines for the strings “shoes AFO”; “Shoes ankle foot orthosis” ; and “AFO Helps”.

Ok, I've stopped doing the two different shoe thing. Mostly.

I’ve had my ankle-foot-orthosis (AFO) for officially one month.  Here’s a breakdown of my experience.  First off – please note that I wear an AFO for transient weakness in my left leg and a possible foot drop (the jury’s out on if I have a true foot drop).

What shoes do you wear with your AFO?

I wear Skechers.  I bought two pairs that are a full size bigger than my regular size.  What’s great about Skechers is that most of their shoes have the same height soles, allowing me to wear my size 6 on the foot without the AFO and the bigger size on the left.  I even will wear a “dressier” Skecher on the right-side some times if I feel like I need to be more professional.  Though, I have found it’s more noticeable to people when you have 2 different shoes on than when you have a casual shoe on with a skirt.

I recommend going to the shoe store with your AFO and taking a good test drive before you buy.  Make sure the shoe has enough room for your toes that will be pushed forward through the action of the AFO.

Do you walk better with the AFO?

Mostly yes.  It helps me lift my foot and most times, I can walk much faster than without it.  However, after a great deal of walking, my leg fatigues from lifting up the AFO – even though it is very lightweight.

Also, the AFO helps me walk heal to toe, the proper way to walk.  I was told that this might help with proprioception – that I would have increased sensory awareness in my leg and I would learn to walk this way without the AFO.  I have not seen any evidence of this as I have a muscle weakness in the vastus medialus that prevents me from being able to properly lift my toes when walking.

Does the AFO hurt?

Not really, only after a lot of walking.  Lots of walking can cause my toes to get a bit numb from the action of the AFO.  I wouldn’t say it hurts as much as it can be uncomfortable.  Always wear a sock with it!  However, I am definitely more used to it now, after a month, than I was in the first several days.

If you’d like to ask me a question, feel free. I can be reached at sickysickerson at gmail dot com.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | AFO, ankle foot orthosis