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Willow

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Joined
Dec 28, 2006
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102
Reason
DX MND
Diagnosis
04/2012
Country
CA
State
East Coast
City
NA
I'm wondering if any of you can offer a bit of advice.
I am having trouble with my feet lately. It seems like there is little to no padding left on them and it can be quite painful to walk but mostly stairs are more difficult. I have no ankle reflex on the right side, diminshed on the left and so when I do stairs in particular, the foot "hits" the step. The fronts of my ankles don't always co-operate at times either. Because I can no longer go up on my toes I have to be very careful of what shoes etc. I wear. If they have a heel of any sort it throws my balance right off.
I was looking at those "gel" insole things but am very nervous of them because if I can't feel what I am stepping on I loose my balance....does that make sense? Kind of like walking in this snow I loose my footing so to speak because it isn't solid. Boots are just a nightmare and a whole other story!
I know this sounds silly but I was just wondering if anyone has some suggestions. We live in a split level home and so stairs are a part of my day no matter what.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
 
I tried the gel insoles with my AFOs and found them to do no good at all. I use a high density memory foam insole that I got from the local drug store that works fairly well.

Something else you may want to look into is ankle foot orthosis (AFO). If I'm not wearing them my balance is so bad I can barely walk. With them on I am much more stable.

The ones I use are Otto Bock Walk On 28U11. A quick search of Google will show them.

I also do stairs daily and must admit that it is harder with my AFOs on but that is because they force me to rely on my thigh muscles only which are weakening.
 
hi.
i am waiting for a afo for my left foot.
i tried some insoles i bought from the pharmacey that my pt recomended but were no good.
yes shoes are a problem,even flat ones as due to the atrophy my left foot is so much thinner that any shoes slob off.
i have atrophy and collapsed arch in my left foot.
my ankle tends to flop forward when i lift my foot up,probably due to the atrophy and loss of contraction in that lower leg.
stairs were a nightmare for me due to weakness in my hips and thigh muscles so i had to move home to a disabled adapted one that is on one level.
i agree with zenarcher,a afo may be better.
 
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