Dr. Ferlic explains why you never see anyone over 70 in a walking boot. Walking boots significantly limit elderly patient’s mobility, decrease quality of life, and can lead to catastrophic outcomes.
I've come to the conclusion that you've never seen a patient over the age of 70 wearing a walking boot, whether it's at a restaurant, whether it's at a mall, whether it's at a grocery store. And I always ask doctors, why don't you see people over the age of 70?
The reason you don't see a person over 70 is because they can't function in this walking boot. It weighs two and a half to four pounds. It heights your hip out. They can't get around with it. So what happens is the doctor sends them home in this.
Mrs. Smith broke her ankle or sprained her ankle or ruptured her Achilles. They send them home in this. They go home for six weeks and they're so deconditioned and by that I mean they lose all their muscle, they lose all their balance, and so you can't get up and do activities of daily living, which is getting into a vehicle, shopping, working, playing.
They come back in six weeks, the doctor says, okay, you're healed, take off the boot, start continuing life again. Well, they go home and they're so weak, they get up, they fall and break their hip, okay?
And the sad thing about it is they end up in a nursing home, and I hate to say this, but a significant percentage die, and that's how they die, and that's a crime. I've had multiple patients now over the age of 70 that instead of using this, I put them in the TayCo external ankle brace, which fits over their jogging shoe.
TayCo Brace minimizes deconditioning because it only weighs 12 ounces. Secondly, it's at the same level as your own shoe, as your other shoe, so you don't have to compensate. Thirdly, you can use your own shoe and your own orthotic and your own support stocking.
TayCo Brace allows the patient to perform activities of daily living, such as shopping, getting in a vehicle, out of a vehicle, playing, and working, and every person over 70 wants to feel worthwhile, and you can't do that sitting at home in one of those walking boots.
