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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2019 9:30:59 GMT
It sounds as if it IS possible to drive with a right leg KAFO then - as long as the footwear is not too restrictive. Perhaps I might be able realise one of my bracing ambitions one day after all!
Out of interest, is the backstop on your ortho boots there to stop foot drop?
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Post by castmenow on Feb 8, 2019 11:29:22 GMT
Yes they are to prevent foot drop and they were fitted to the ortho boots by the supplier at the time I ordered them, I wanted to see what it was like with the extra restriction. I have to be careful because I could easily bend them backwards. There is something good about sitting in a chair with my lower legs angled and my heels on the floor with my feet fixed with my toes in the air, unable to rest them flat on the floor. They do make things slightly more difficult to get around with in the KAFOs and much more so in the HKAFO. Attachments:
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2019 16:48:28 GMT
Thanks for the picture, Castmenonw. Presumably the strap in the picture wraps around the steel work to react against the front of the boot moving downwards. I had envisaged that the strap would have to be further up the boot - or even the boot fixed direct to the metal work - to provide the necessary restraint.
BTW, nice steel work on display together with Torx(?) screws. Is this your handiwork or did your orthotist supply them like this?
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Post by castmenow on Feb 8, 2019 22:36:49 GMT
The strap in the picture is higher than it normally sits, it normally sits right down at the heel and is there to stop the spurs coming out of the sockets, nothing to do with controlling the ankle or anything. I swapped all the Phillips/cross head screws that originally were fitted for Torx head as they are more positive when removing and tightening them and with the Phillips if you slip you end up with burrs and sharp edges.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2019 11:59:21 GMT
Ah,OK. Thanks.
Please forgive my ignorance but how does the backstop work then? Presumably it must be somehow be fixed between the brace steel work and the ortho boots?
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Post by castmenow on Feb 9, 2019 13:07:14 GMT
This is the standard style round socket for traditional braces in the UK, the tube is brazed to the plate and riveted into a cut out made in the heel of the shoe. This is a backstop socket, it has the extra wings (the backstops) brazed to it that sit outside the heel of the shoe as can be seen in the earlier photo and it is mounted into the shoe in the same manner as the standard socket. Because the wings, tube and plate are all brazed together, the wings are in a fixed position, so when the brace uprights are in position as in the earlier photo, the shoe can not rotate downwards at the toe end because the backstops come up against the uprights.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2019 11:26:36 GMT
Ah. Now I understand. Thank you for taking the trouble to post the pics. I had previously thought a backstop was separate to the sockets.
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Post by JayBee on Feb 10, 2019 13:09:17 GMT
Another outing in braces today, this time to buy petrol at a self-service station. A few people around, but no particular stares. It would be a good 30 metre walk from the bowser to the shop. The person at the till looked to be of Indian background, so it may not be an unusual sight for him.
The thought also arises that disability is no longer hidden away, so there's nothing particularly noteworthy about seeing a disabled person. Which is a good thing. This would be part of customer service training. In Australia Kurt Fearnley is almost a national hero.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2019 15:48:54 GMT
Jaybee, you're certainly getting about. Well done.
Makes my desire to get out and about all the stronger. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
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Post by JayBee on Mar 6, 2019 11:17:04 GMT
Another outing, and this time possibly a reaction. My other half was having lunch with friends, so I donned the braces and went to a bakery a couple of suburbs away to have lunch. Using crutches (more usually I have a walking stick) I went into the cafe and ordered what I wanted. The lady at the counter put the figure into the card machine - and then dropped it on the floor on my side of the counter. She came around, picked up the pieces, went back round and put it back together again so I could pay.
I sat at a table, put my crutches on the floor under the seat at the side of the table and waited for the food. A particularly good (i.e. hot) chili beef pie. Then she came over to me again. The transaction had been declined. This time no dropping and I got the payment through.
Was dropping the machine a reaction to my disability?
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Post by castmenow on Mar 7, 2019 9:20:16 GMT
Perhaps if she was flustered or nervous. Who knows? Another interesting trip out none the less.
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Post by JayBee on May 26, 2019 23:23:33 GMT
It's been a bit quiet here, but I've had a lot on, so this is the first opportunity to do an update on something from a couple of weeks ago.
The other half had a weekend away with friends which left me on my own to enjoy braced life for a couple of days. One of the things I did was to go to the cinema - the longest outing I have had so far.
Some things that I learned:
If the upper strap of a knee pad is too tight, it will become uncomfortable (and there is no way to adjust it). Although my left knee was the one affected, I have gone one hole looser on the outside and one tighter on the inside to get the centre of the pad in the correct position for both knees. Seems to be working well now.
In the cinema it's probably better to go across to the opposite side of the room from the entrance. Of course I took the end seat, and then had the awkwardness of people who wanted to sit further along having to climb over me. At least I had my walking stick there to show I was disabled. (I now have elbow crutches; that's a different story.) At the end it was easier to wait until most people had left before I did, and that brought up again the problem of people sitting in the same row and wanting to leave before me.
Cinemas have stairs, and it was helpful having seen Pedro's video about technique for going up stairs. Going back down takes more care and attention. I only went up around three steps, but I didn't want to be too close to the big screen.
Once again I didn't find people particularly taking notice of me, and any staff interaction was good; I was treated the same as an able-bodied person.
I keep feeling more and more relaxed/accustomed. Hope you people are finding opportunities to get out there.
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Post by tobebraced50 on May 27, 2019 15:11:21 GMT
Congratulations on feeling more comfortable as you gain more experience.
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Post by rowland on Feb 25, 2021 14:44:45 GMT
"In the cinema it's probably better to go across to the opposite side of the room from the entrance. Of course I took the end seat, and then had the awkwardness of people who wanted to sit further along having to climb over me. At least I had my walking stick there to show I was disabled. (I now have elbow crutches; that's a different story.) At the end it was easier to wait until most people had left before I did, and that brought up again the problem of people sitting in the same row and wanting to leave before me. Cinemas have stairs, and it was helpful having seen Pedro's video about technique for going up stairs. Going back down takes more care and attention. I only went up around three steps, but I didn't want to be too close to the big screen. Once again I didn't find people particularly taking notice of me, and any staff interaction was good; I was treated the same as an able-bodied person. I keep feeling more and more relaxed/accustomed. Hope you people are finding opportunities to get out there." I quoted this piece of nostalgia in the expectation of being able to go to the pictures in a few months time or sooner. A purposeful outing to see a film will be a refeshing change from casual browsing of the TV channels. Our local cinemas offer some seats with more leg-room at no extra cost. What I find difficult is the downward slope of the aisles.
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bruce
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Interests: KAFO, AFO
Leg braced ladies.
Ladies in W/C with leg braces
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Post by bruce on Feb 25, 2021 22:55:27 GMT
Very nice pic. Thanks for posting this here. Sounds like you had a good experience while outside. Bruce
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