Braces and the Expert

In previous posts I have stated how many problems I have been having with my braces. one of the suggestions I read was to take the braces to a local expert and asked for advice. I did call the company and after a few conversations they proposed that I come over at a time when they had a national expert on RGO braces to look at the situation and make suggestions.

Two weeks ago I did that. I brought the braces over and their expert, who is well known to my orthotist and has lectured in her classes, took a good look. After a couple of hours of having him look and having me walk back and forth in the parallel bars, he came up with a long list of changes he wanted in the braces. he felt that the hips were too loose, that the feet were at the wrong angle, that some of the attachments were of an incorrect length, that some of the attachments were put on correctly which might account for some mechanical weakness that we had been having and that I should be able to balance in the braces without using crutches as long as I am not moving. This is something that I clearly cannot do at the present time.

There was also a long discussion about alternate knees. There are two options: a purely mechanical system and an electromechanical system. The purely mechanical system uses a rod to lock the knee whenever the foot is resting on the ground and to release it when the foot is raised. The electromechanical system uses a sensor and what sounds like a motor but might actually be a brake to accomplish much the same thing. I plan to come back and try one or both of these systems if it is at all possible. Problems with the knees being locked at all times are a major subset of the difficulties that I have with my current braces and I am eager to explore alternatives although I am not sure quite what they will mean in terms of my gait or anything else that I might do.

I have sent the braces back to the manufacturer to have some of the changes made and plan to hire the local company to make other changes as much as possible. This means that I will spend several weeks to a month without the braces and plan to find other ways to exercise. I am hoping that what I get eventually will significantly improve my ability to walk.