2024.04.26
News
Relieve from Stumbling Anxiety- The Sense of Security Brought by TurboMed XTERN!
Interview with a person who completed a Marathon using TurboMed XTERN
Pacific Supply Co. Ltd.
Shunsuke Koseki, Prosthetist
Introduction
TurboMed XTERN is a new walking aid for people with drop foot, that is attached to the outside of the shoes. It can be easily attached to the shoes with a special clip. Since the only place that it touches the body is the lower leg of the cuff, there is no discomfort on the sole and no risk of skin damage from friction. There are no weight restrictions, and it supports a wide range of situations from daily life to sports activities.
For this interview, we spoke with Mr. Muto, a TurboMed XTERN user who recently completed a Marathon in Japan.
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Mr. Muto's profile |
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Age: |
47 years |
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Gender: |
Male |
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Height: |
175 cm |
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Weight: |
60 kg |
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Occupation: |
Speech therapist |
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Disease: |
Right peroneal nerve palsy, ankle dorsiflexion restriction |
Please tell us about your present life
I work as a speech-language pathologist in a hospital's home-visit rehabilitation team. When I was 26 years old, I had a motorcycle accident that resulted in a complex open fracture of my right leg, and I was in and out of the hospital for the next 3 years. Currently, I have restrictions to dorsiflexion and a drop foot due to peroneal nerve palsy. Due to the accident, the wound has taken a long time to heal and I wear a protector on my lower leg to protect my skin and prevent injury. No other braces are used because the protector interferes with them.
In my daily life and work, I have many opportunities to walk and move around. Walking movements are not a problem, but when I get tired, I trip and stumble, so I was always concerned about tripping and falling. My son, who is in elementary school, would ask me to play with him, but I found it difficult to run with him because of the constant anxiety of tripping.
What made you choose TurboMed XTERN?
Two years ago, my Boss at work (hospital) told me that there was a product like this. At that time, I thought it could not be used in combination with the protector I was currently wearing, so I just heard the name of the product and did not try it on.
This time, a prosthetist introduced me to a demo unit that I could actually try on the product, so I decided to try it out.
How did you feel when you actually tried it on?
When I tried on the TurboMed XTERN, I was surprised to find that it fit over the protector without any problems. It lifted my toes and makes very easy to walk in. I felt like it was firmly supporting me, and I was able to walk with a sense of security.
This trial fitting inspired me to purchase the TurboMed XTERN and thought, "I'm going to participate in the Marathon with my son!"
How was the Marathon?
Since I had one month until the Marathon after purchasing the product, I practiced running with it twice a week. I had never run before, partly because I was worried about tripping, so it was hard to get used to it at first, but in the second half of the practice period, I was able to run 500 to 750 meters. At the actual Marathon, my goal was to run 750m at the turnaround point, but I was thrilled to be able to complete 1.5km.
I did not feel any fear of tripping during the Marathon and was able to run with my son with peace of mind.
Tell us what you liked about TurboMed XTERN
I felt a sense of security after using it. Up until now, I had been worried about tripping and felt down that always I had to tread carefully. However, after wearing the TurboMed XTERN, I was able to run without feeling anxious about tripping. Another good point is that it can be attached to the outside of the shoe, so it can be used in combination with protectors.
There are only a limited number of things that can be worn together, so it was great that there were no such restrictions. I was able to borrow a demo unit to try it on, so I was able to see for myself how effective it really is. This rental system was very helpful because there are many things you can't know until you actually try them on.
Voice of the Prosthetist in charge
This time, I was referred by a home-visit physical therapist. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to try out the demo unit. The TurboMed XTERN attachment can be attached to a variety of shoes, but it is necessary to check the arm length of the TurboMed XTERN main unit when it is attached to a shoe. There have been cases where the arm on the back of the heel got caught when descending stairs in other shoes with different structures, even though the adjusted shoes can be used without any problem, so be careful.
Since the user decided to use the shoes together with running shoes, we were able to focus on adjusting the arm length of the TurboMed XTERN. There are few lower limb orthoses in the category that can be used not only for walking but also for sports, so I think that TurboMed XTERN is a valuable walking aid.
Afterword
Rather than assuming that "I can't play sports because of my disability," our company would like to work with you to find out what kind of orthotics you can choose and the activities you can engage in depending on your choice. In the process of actually trying it out, Mr. Muto this time thought, "he can run!" and eventually he found and achieved a new goal of "running a Marathon with his son".
Once again, we felt that we would like to create an environment that provides users with a variety of tools and opportunities so that they do not have to give up on their potential. We hope that this article has helped you learn that there is an option called TurboMed XTERN, and we hope that it has sparked some interest. Pacific Supply offers demo units for trial fitting on rental basis to medical institutions. If you are interested in our products and would like to have a try-on demo, please apply for it.
For more details, please visit this URL