Thanks... this is great, know I REALLY know what it is, thanks everbody and thanks Quix!!!
~Sunnytoday~
I think they do make braces that come up over the knee but I don't know what they are called. I could ask my sons PT is you'd like.
LA
That's what I get for not looking it up!
Do they make anything for the knee? Mine gives out often - although I don't really want to wear anything outside my jeans.
HAHA!! You guys are so funny!! :)
An AFO is a brace for the feet and ankles to help with support.
I have kids in SMO's which are a shorter version of an AFO. An AFO comes up around the calf. SMO is around the ankle.
LA
Actually, no, the electricity zapping thing is called Functional Electrical Stimulation and it is being used for the same purpose. Here is a great article from the Multiple Sclerosis Quarterly Report:
http://www.unitedspinal.org/publications/msqr/2008/08/29/functional-electrical-stimulation-and-multiple-sclerosis-seperating-fact-from-fiction/
AFO stands for Ankle Foot Orthotic - It is typically a plastic brace molded to your lower leg/ankle and foot. You wear it inside a shoe and it keeps the foot in the best position to walk without it dragging on the ground. I wear one for my foot drop.
Quix
Ohhhh!!! Huh... and I thought it was a little green alien with a cute little nose and...
ok, seriously though, i thought it was a brace, but I was getting confuse. Those NY accents kept throwing me off sometimes, and I couldn't tell if he was talking about a brace AND an AFO or they were the same thing.
Ok!
~Sunnytoday~
Without resorting to Google at all.. (Look ma!) I think the AFO delivers a zap of electricity to the muscle that's responsible for pulling up your foot. It's triggered by your knee, the thing zaps your ankle, your foot pulls up, and you can walk without stumbling. Pretty nifty!
It's the same principle as a TENS unit, which sends a shock to a muscle so it can be strengthened. The muscle tenses and relaxes with each zap.