A customer simply needs to wear the Walkaide device around the upper calf. It releases appropriate electric current to the leg, so the customer can properly lift the foot to reduce foot drop while walking.
Read MoreTurbomed Foot Drop Brace replaces the traditional ankle-foot orthosis and works well beyond the traditional one’s limitation. It helps users with foot drop to walk farther.
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People with nerve damage in the brain, such as a stroke, will have leg muscle imbalance and cannot lift their foot upward when walking, resulting in “foot drop”. In order to prevent “foot drop”, i.e. foot touching the ground when walking, people often have compensatory motion from their knee, hip or other parts of the body. Their knees, pelvis and waist exert extra effort to push the body forward, which may make them exhausted after a short walk. If the foot drop problem is not properly managed, it may lead to muscle contracture and stiffness of ankle joint, affecting the person’s ability to move and socialize. Besides the traditional ankle-foot orthosis, this is a better alternative for solving the walking problem of people suffering from foot drop.
WalkAide is designed to improve foot drop caused by stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, etc. By stimulating the common peroneal nerve through personalized and programmed electic output, Walkaide can lift the foot and avoid foot drop, making the gait more natural and stable.
The Walkaide FES System operates in the principle of “functional electrical stimulation”. The user’s leg is given the right amount of electric current at the right time, so that they can lift their foot appropriately during walking. It saves energy so that they can walk more and progress faster.
Some basic FES system depends on “heel sensor” to release electric current. The disadvantages are that the user cannot accurately step on the “heel sensor” and the “heel sensor” must be placed in the shoe. It cannot be used barefoot. Moreover, the exposed wires make it easy to trip over other things and bring about a feeling of disability when wearing shorts.
The Walkaide FES System is unique in that the main unit is positioned around the upper calf, with no exposed wires, and can be used barefoot. It is much lighter than traditional FES System. It also uses “tilt sensor” to control the electric current. Compared with traditional “heel sensor”, the time of releasing electric current is more accurate and the user will walk more naturally.
Of course, repeated practice is the most important thing in the rehabilitation process of user. Do not forget to seek professional advice from Pedorthists.
Do you know what “foot drop” is? Have you ever heard of ‘foot drop’?
Sudden accidents or unexplained causes, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or actual trauma, can lead to nerve damage. The common denominator in all cases of nerve damage, whether mild or severe, is the problem of “foot drop” during walking.
Foot drop is a condition in which the foot cannot be lifted upwards when walking. This is often a major stumbling block in recovery.
We saw many people suffering foot drop who have been instructed by doctors or other health care professionals to practise walking more and more. But most of them go to a bottleneck where they get stuck with the problem of ‘foot drop’.
If people have “foot drop”, they cannot lift their feet upwards when walking, and they have to exert extra effort at the knee, pelvis and waist to push their body forward. Therefore, they may be exhausted after just a short walk.
The ‘traditional ankle-foot orthosis’ is the most basic and commonly used orthosis by Hong Kong public hospitals to help people suffering from foot drop. It is mostly made of polypropylene and is wrapped around the lower leg and foot. It is placed inside a shoe, so the users have to buy the shoes one to two sizes bigger to accommodate the orthosis.
The material used in ‘traditional ankle-foot orthosis’ is relatively hard as the foot and ankle should be supported to prevent foot drop. Users may feel the edge of the orthosis to scratch the skin around the ankle. In addition, users generally feel that the ‘ traditional ankle-foot orthosis ‘ is more constricting and the ankle is not flexible, causing unnatural gait.
The most important thing is that Turbomed is made of thermoplastic blend of various materials. Together with its unique design, it makes the whole structure more flexible and keep natural gait.
The frontal approach of Xtern Frontier leaves the back of the shoe opening fully accessible for easy donning. The calf section features a magnetic buckle system that can be attached with one hand. These designs are beneficial to stroke patients. Stability of Xtern Frontier is 25% higher than that of Xtern Classic, and more useful for patients with poorer ankle stability.
Middle section of Xtern Summit is made of carbon fiber, and makes it 25% lighter than Xtern Classic. Higher stability has also been found in Xtern Summit. Dorsiflexion power of Xtern Summit is 18% higher than that of Xtern Classic, and more suitable for the patient with high demand of ankle dorsiflexion.
We provide professional fitting and follow-up of “Turbomed Foot Drop Brace” to ensure proper use. Our Pedorthic centres provide all three version – Xtern Classic, Xtern Frontier and Xtern Summit. For assessment and fitting of “Turbomed Foot Drop Brace”, please call our Pedorthic centres to make an appointment.
Turbomed official website (https://turbomedorthotics.com/)
The Turbomed Foot Drop Club – a global Facebook group for Turbomed users (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TurbomedFootDropClub/)
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