Foot of the Week – Episode 17 – Drop Foot AFO Comparison and testimonial

In this video episode of “Foot of the Week”, we talk to a drop foot patient who has been using the dorsi-strap or x-strap (similar to the freedom walk, Foot up, or steady strider). We compare this drop foot treatment to the Step-Smart brace and demonstrate how the Step-Smart provides superior shock absorption at heel strike and also provides lateral support for better drop foot gait. Foot drop often causes falls resulting from an ankle rollover. Our drop foot gait analysis shows that without the ability to dorsiflex, the ankle is more susceptible to lateral instability. The lateral side of the foot or the outside of the foot can catch on an edge and roll over. Also, if the dropped foot lands on uneven ground, a rollover is difficult to prevent without ankle support. The drop foot patient also provides a testimonial in his own words describing his experience and fear of falling. The Step-Smart is the best drop foot brace and drop foot braces on the market.

Video Transcript:

Hi, Ian here from Insightful Products. We’ve got Gary Baldwin here, whose got drop foot. And you got drop foot from surgery, back surgery, is that right?

Yes, that is correct.

And he’s been using this, it’s called the Dorsi Strap, and this cuff here goes right above the ankle, and that’s what gives him the clearance during swing phase. It’s a design that basically attaches your ankle or above your ankle, to the front of the shoe using these laces. They are not elastic. It does keep your foot up, and I guess it worked pretty well for you for a while.

Yes, it was considerably better than nothing. I had never tried anything else. I bought several of the end pieces for different pairs of shoes. Every time I wear a different shoe I have to change this or have a separate set. It costs quite a lot of money by the time you’re done. If you have 3 or 4 pairs of shoes, you need 3 or 4 of these, or you’d have to change them every time you put your shoes on.

You can see how hard this is to do, and that’s why you need to buy the extra pieces. Otherwise, you spend 15 minutes putting your shoes on every morning. At my job, I’m required to work on concrete floors 10 hours a day, and my heels are definitely sore by the end of the day. I do notice that after working all day on the concrete floors at work my feet, my heels in particular are very sore.

And that’s just it because there is no muscle to decelerate the foot and lower it down to the ground. the heel of the foot takes all the impact. As with the Step Smart brace, we can distribute the pressure more normally throughout the foot because we have those straps in the back. So, I can see when you walk, your foot inverts and looks like it’s in danger of flipping over and twisting your ankle.

Yes, and I feel like I have no support at all, and I’m more afraid that I’m going to fall.

So, you’ve fallen a few times?

Yes, I’ve fallen a number of times. Just by moving sideways and having my foot drag on the floor, and it catches me, and I’ve fallen at work a couple of times.

So, what do you notice now?

I don’t have a lot of support. I’m used to this one, but I don’t feel as uncomfortable as I did without anything. But I definitely don’t feel any support side to side.

He got a recommendation for a Step Smart brace. What were you saying?

Well, the woman I was talking to who is a very good friend of my wife, has tried many many different braces and she said I should just cut to the chase and get this brace because it works well and feels well, and it feels good, and I have it on right now, and it does feel great. It’s very unobtrusive and just comfortable, and the fact that I don’t have to change it every time I have a different shoe, I just put it into whatever shoes I have, that’s great. It’s a great advantage. I’ve had it on now for about 10 minutes, and I don’t even realize it’s there except if I go to move sideways I feel like my ankle is not going to blow out like it sometimes does.

So, you’re feeling some lateral support?

I definitely do, yes, I feel much more lateral support than I have in the past, for many, many years actually.

So, let’s take a look at that. If you stop right here we can show that. See this provides the lateral support right here, and that comes right over your cuboid, and that’s why you’re not going to be twisting your ankle anymore. Well Gary, thank you very much for sharing your stories with us.

That’s it for Foot of the Week, and we’ll see you next week.