Living with a progressive neurological condition such as Multiple Sclerosis provides a whole range of challenges. One of these challenges is your ability to walk and in particular walk on uneven ground.
We would like to award our January 2021 Gold Star award to Julie who has been a dedicated online client of Connect Neuro Physiotherapy since 2016. Julie has had to overcome her fare share of hurdles but has launched into retirement with a full time focus on her exercise and rehabilitation. Always committed to her exercise Julie visited the clinic October 2020 for a face to face session and explained that she felt her walking was very limited on uneven surfaces and was only able to walk on pavements. In passing she mentioned how she had given up hope of being able to do the bush and trail walking she had once hoped her retirement would be filled with.
Gilly recommended that she explore the Turbomed Ankle Foot Orthosis which attaches to the outside of a pair of trainers or walking shoes and provides significant ankle stability and foot drop clearance. With a referral through Julie’s local district health board she was even able to be supplied with the device under ministry of health funding.
Since she has had the brace, Julie has gone from strength to strength with her ability to walk outside on uneven surfaces and is starting back in trial walking.
The brace has allowed me to go back to walking most places, like the bush and ‘off road’ with my family. It has given me the confidence to do a lot of things that I have not done for a long time, like walking along the rocks on the foreshore, not because I need to, but because I now can. I have become like a child with a new toy, just enjoying being able to do things again.
We can not wait to catch up with Julie in a few months time to hear what else she has been up to with her new found freedom.
Navigating the rehabilitation world is complex and it is often the case that many individuals do not know what equipment is out there that can make a life changing impact on their goals and quality of life. This is one of many reasons why seeing an expert neurological physiotherapist is so valuable to your own personal rehabilitation journey.