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Back Surgery Drop Foot Brace Frustration

Frustration with his old drop foot brace led Joe, from Massachusetts to contact us at Insightful Products, about our Step-Smart Brace for Drop foot.

Following back surgery over 15 years ago, Joe, like many who go through such surgeries, found he had developed drop foot. Seeking relief Joe had tried a fully custom plastic AFO, a carbon fiber unit, and a sling-type brace over the years.  His experience with them was frustrating. He found these drop-foot braces to be bulky, with no give and no flexibility. Through a mutual acquaintance, Joe contacted Insightful Products and liked what he heard. Comparing and evaluating drop foot braces is not an easy task.

Joe was able to travel to Maine and meet with Ian Engleman (our founder), although that is not a necessary step when buying our foot brace. During their meeting, Ian recommended that Joe move to a Step-Smart brace with the Cuffed Calf add-on due to some muscle loss and atrophy in Joe’s leg. The cuffed calf section is a taller wider calf section that cups the back of the calf, spreading out the pressure that the brace places on the rear of the leg over a wider area.  The cuffed calf also keeps the calf section from moving side to side, which reduces friction that some people find uncomfortable. A $95.00 upgrade, the cuffed calf section replaces the standard calf section and its size is based on a measurement the user supplies to us of the circumference of their calf. The cuffed calf section needs to be ordered and sized with a new Step-Smart because it is manufactured into the brace (it is not detachable).

During his time at the Insightful Products office, Joe shared with us that he had finally taken the initiative to contact us after having a serious fall in his home. Joe was not wearing his old brace at the time because he didn’t care for it because it was uncomfortable.  He took a risk that resulted in minor injuries and a sense that it was time to find a better drop foot brace.

More About the Cuffed Calf Drop Foot Brace Add-on

The Cuffed Calf section that Joe needed is recommended for:

  • users who are low in muscle or fatty tissue in the calf area
  • where the original calf section places pressure on the calf
  • drop-foot users that have a large calf section
  • those that need to limit the brace’s side-to-side motion

The cuffed calf Step-Smart is approximately 3” taller than the default calf section and wraps around the leg to cup the calf and distribute pressure over a larger area. If you’re — like so many of us — heavy or overweight, the cuffed calf section can make the Step-Smart drop foot brace more comfortable.  Here’s a look at the two braces side by side.

drop foot brace with cuffed calf section compared to drop foot brace without calf section
Left: Cuffed Calf Step-Smart, Right: Regular Step-Smart

We want to help. Give us a call at (207) 885-0414, drop us an e-mail, or send us your question.

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