One Step, Two Steps - Part 2

I can walk with bare feet, but as you read in my last post, I wear ankle-foot orthoses, better known as A.F.Os or splints when I’m walking in my frame because I don’t have full control over my tone, therefore sometimes I walk on my tip-toes when I concentrate on other things. At one point, I saw a physiotherapist who said that this was spasticity and although I do have spasticity to varying degrees in different parts of my body, and in my opinion, I don’t think she fully understood how my body worked. My A.F.Os have two purposes: The first one is the most obvious – they keep my feet as straight as possible and virtually keep my ankles at right-angles. The second purpose is one that I realised purely by accident: I found that the weight of the A.F.Os and shoes weigh my legs down meaning that they help to control my involuntary movements a bit, making walking easier.

However, as my A.F.Os are made out of plastic, from plaster casts moulded to my feet, and as my feet change shape, the splints become more uncomfortable to wear and eventually pinch and rub. I have had problems with the fit of my splints for about a year now, and have to put plasters on my feet because otherwise, I get blisters forming… I have had two appointments, but at the first appointment, the Orthotist said that they were fine, but he would organise a further appointment to look at getting “walking splints”, which would be softer, but I never had that appointment. I’ve just had another appointment with a different person, and she said that I need new splints. The thing that irritates me is the fact I’ve had to wait about a year after my initial appointment to be told what I already knew. I should have had my casts taken and got my new splints last year! Hey ho, it is what it is! I just hope that I get new ones soon.

Walking has helped me in a lot of ways: It helps my physical health by helping to keep muscle memory and muscle strength, and it helps my mental health. Believe it or not, walking helps me get my frustration out somehow. I get so confused about what’s in my head. I get angry and frustrated with myself and I am crap at explaining how I feel, and locking it up in my head may not be the best thing to do, but it is just easier sometimes, rather than trying to explain what’s going on and then getting upset because I can’t explain! It even gives me a different perspective on life in two ways: It allows me to see the world from a walking up-right position, and even if I can’t see it at the time, it reminds me that life is always worth living because I’ve come too far just to give up. I would certainly recommend walking to anyone who can.