Introduction

TurboMed XTERN, a new walking aid for people with drop foot which is attached to the outside of the shoe. 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 is no weight restriction and it supports a wide range of situations from daily life to sports activities.

This time we spoke to Mr. Daisuke, a TurboMed XTERN user who has returned to his hobby of tennis after suffering from drop foot difficulties.

【Mr. Daisuke's Profile】

What prompted you to start using TurboMed XTERN?

When I was 27 years old, I had lumbar hernia and had surgery. I had second hernia at the age of 37 and had another operation to get better. Again at the age of 46, I had third hernia and I didn't want to have surgery anymore. So I waited for natural healing without surgery and continued my rehabilitation. I returned to work a month later, enduring the pain, but I noticed that it was becoming difficult to lift my toes. I wore a drop foot brace (plastic AFO) and used a cane to commute to work for 4 to 5 months.

I started playing tennis at the age of 45 and really enjoyed playing tennis with my whole family, but I ended up with drop foot and couldn't lift my ankle at all. So I thought it would be difficult to resume my hobby of playing tennis again.

How did you come to know about TurboMed XTERN?

The plastic drop foot brace would not allow me to put on leather shoes. So my shoes get torn to shreds quickly and I would get scars on my feet from shoe rubbing. I even tried wearing a supporter tight so that I could lift my toes, but that caused the blood to congest over time. As I was wanting to do something about this annoying situation, I searched the internet for information about my symptoms and braces and finally I found TurboMed XTERN.

I learned that TurboMed XTERN is an “orthotic” designed by a person who had drop foot due to an accident and wanted to get back to an active life! Then I thought, this could work! So I contacted the showroom of Kawamura Gishi, which handles the products and decided to try it on.

TurboMed XTERN Gait Comparison

What was it like when you put it on?

I remember being very impressed when I put on the TurboMed XTERN for the first time. Since it was attached to the outside of the shoe, there was no rubbing which I was worried about. Unlike the braces I had been using, I could feel my toes being lifted. As soon as I put it on, I thought, "If I use this, I will be able to resume tennis". So I decided to buy it. Now I attend a tennis school twice a week and I play tennis for 4 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. My whole family plays tennis, so it is very fulfilling to play tennis together as a family. Tennis requires a variety of forward and backward, left and right movements, especially when dashing forward. I strongly feel assisted by the TurboMed XTERN while playing. 

The XTERN Summit in particular has a stronger rebounding feeling when stepping out than the XTERN Classic that I usually use, and I felt that it was more suitable for the sports. In fact, by playing tennis with TurboMed XTERN, I have gained strength in my lower back and my ankle joints have improved from not being able to lift to being able to dorsiflex by myself.

My doctor was also surprised, saying, "By actively exercising with TurboMed XTERN, you are gaining muscle strength, and stimulating the nerves and muscles which has a positive effect on you".

Please tell us about your present usage situation

Basically, I wear it when I play tennis. I also wear it while going outside all day or going to the job site for work. I have three pairs of tennis shoes with clips attached to them, as well as shoes for everyday wear and safety shoes for work, for a total of six pairs to which I can attach the TurboMed XTERN. I especially need safety shoes when I go to a work site, so the TurboMed XTERN that can be attached to safety shoes is very useful.

With TurboMed XTERN, I don't have to worry about tripping when I'm wearing my shoes. I don't feel like I'm "disabled" when I'm outside. I would like to have TurboMed XTERN for indoor use because I have to lift my toes when I'm at home without TurboMed XTERN (because I have to take off my shoes).

The positive points of TurboMed XTERN

TurboMed XTERN is attached to the outside of the shoe, so it's great that it doesn't come into direct contact with the body. I often wear it for long periods of time, which used to cause pain from blisters, but since I started using TurboMed XTERN, I am relieved that I don't have to worry about blisters.

I am always reluctant to wear shoes when in pain. If I hadn't found TurboMed XTERN, I don't think I would have thought about returning to my hobby of tennis. It's because of TurboMed XTERN I can enjoy tennis with the peace of mind. I am really glad that I found TurboMed XTERN, and I would like more people with similar symptoms to know about it.

After the Interview - Postscript

This time we interviewed Mr. Daisuke, who has returned to his hobby of tennis using TurboMed XTERN. He had a lot of problems and hardships after suffering from lumbar hernia and drop foot. However, he found TurboMed XTERN while searching for something better, and we are delighted that he has been able to return to a life of enjoying tennis. We will continue to work even harder to bring TurboMed XTERN to everyone who suffers from drop foot.

In addition to the regular XTERN Classic, TurboMed XTERN is also available in the XTERN Summit, which is suitable for more active performance and the XTERN Frontier, which is more comfortable to wear.

We hope that you will choose the one that best suits your needs.