ExoSym - Beginning to Walk

Today was the day. I got my ExoSym. I'm at the Hanger Clinic this week learning how to walk. I know that seems silly, because, well I walk, but now I have to train my brain and body to walk and move in a new way.

The brace takes the pressure off my ankle from HELL. This has been constructed for my foot, and how I will move from this point forward.

It's a very different way to think about walking. The only thing I can compare it to is barefoot running. To move more fluidly, I have to land on my midfoot. Seems easy, but it isn't. To begin the learning process, I had to do various exercises, including walking backwards, doing some lateral moves and being strapped to weights and walking. For the next few days I will be doing PT work 2-4 hours day before I head home on Friday.

It was exciting to first put the brace on. It does feel different, and it will take a while to get used to it. I think what is hard for me, which I now realize, is this is how things will be for the foreseeable future. This is my attempt to be mobile, and not deal with surgeries and replacements.

I'll be posting all week, and sharing what I do each day.

Charlie