Since this brace isn’t technically ’for’ my condition, I wanted to share my experience with anyone who may be unsure. I’m actually living on disability, so I understand that $200 is a big commitment for some.
First off, a bit of background. I suffered a stroke four years ago that left me with spastic hemiplegia in my right side. Because of this, my right foot supinates. I saw ‘foot drop’ in the list of conditions this device was intended for but while going through the reviews I saw the magic ‘s’ word and decided to give it a shot… and I’m so glad I did.
The first brace I tried was your typical fixed AFO. After a few months I upgraded to one with an articulated ankle, which was great for maintaining muscle but both of them went inside the shoe and the platform covered my entire sole limiting the tactile information passed to my brain. Because of this I tried the SaeboStep. This offered me the option of wearing it with any shoe and gave me the tactile sensation that my brain craved. However it had limited range of motion and because it hooked to anchors installed in the eyeholes on the tops of a given shoe it would pull my toes to the end. Then I discovered this brace.
Not only can I wear several shoe types with it - my preference is a pair of barefoot style shoes - it offers the tactical sensation I’m looking for. Because it holds the back of my foot it allows for foot flexibility making walking backwards, up and down stairs and even sideways much easier. I’ve spent the last four years trying every device I can find and I can assure you that this is my favorite so far. It’s lightweight, comfortable and very functional. Maybe not the easiest to don and doff one-handed but as I mentioned above, this device isn’t exactly intended for my condition.
I cannot tell you how glad I am that I tried this device. ‘Life-changing’ is not an exaggeration by any means.
