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An orthosis or a brace must do at least three things by definition!
  1. Any bracing, by its very definition, MUST first prevent further deformity from occurring and your present brace should incorporate the necessary corrective force systems to ascertain that no ligaments are under excessive and constant stress that can cause micro failure, namely at the midtarsal and subtalar joints. A dropfoot is rarely, if ever, just that. It is the result of either a partial or a total paralysis of your limb, most likely a partial paralysis. That means a mechanical imbalance that in time can result in one or more muscle/tendon contractures and secondarily cause a developing deformity of the foot- specifically a breakdown of the plantar ligaments of the midtarsal joint.
  2. Next a brace, also by its definition, should correct any existing deformity. If your condition occured this year, it is unlikely that a serious deformity will occur in such a short period of time, unless a prior deformity existed.
  3. A brace should assist you in returning to as normal an ambulatory gait as possible. That is its functional characteristic. It is truly a mistake to think that any flexible brace can do this. This is because walking is about the transfer of your body weight through your limbs dynamically and it is about, above all, balance through those same limbs through very limited parameters. When those parameters are not defined and met, then a deterioration of the average walking speed occurs as abnormal forces detract from what should be a primary net force.
Walking is about controlled rigidity. A normal foot will rigidify prior to pushing off and the Achilles tendon will rigidly tense as a powerful spring would do. A brace should not dissipate the potential for a mechanical return under any circumstances. Braces with joints and springs will do nothing to give you a mechanical advantage, nor will any brace that you can easily bend and twist in your hands. A proper design should only react to your body weight when it is in motion. That requires controlled rigidity. Our graphite designs are designed specifically for these purposes.

One should not worry about a brace that has controlled rigidity affecting the recovery of your leg muscles or disuse atrophy. Quite the contrary, the muscles will exercise as intended with such a system.

 
 
 
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