TurboMed XTERN is an innovative walking aid for people with foot drop that is worn on the outside of the shoe. It is easily applied by attaching a special clip to the shoe. Since the only place that touches the body is the calf support, there is no discomfort to the sole and no risk of skin damage due to friction.

There are no weight restrictions and the device supports walking in a wide range of situations; from daily life to sports.

We interviewed Mr. Suzuki, a para-athlete who uses TurboMed XTERN as a product reviewer.

【Mr. Suzuki's Profile 】
Age: 52
Occupation: Self-employed
Disease: Paralysis in the left leg due to an accident
Japan Para Athletics Championships F42 Discus Japan record holder

In 2003, I suffered a burst fracture of my third lumbar vertebrae in an accident at work, which left me with paralysis in the left side of my body. I use a hydraulic orthosis called Gait Solution Design in my daily life.

For baseball, which I started as a hobby in 2006, I used a plastic shoehorn type brace.

Shoehorn Type Brace

Originally a track and field athlete as a student, I branched out into para athletics in 2017 and participated in the Japan Para Athletics Championships for the first time.

When you play sports, the strength and movement of your orthotics directly affect your performance. When orthotics are fitted inside shoes, the shoe size has to be larger on the side where the orthotics are placed in order to match the shoe size to the orthotics. Because of this, I wondered if the orthotics I was using were the best solution. It was during this time that I found TurboMed XTERN, which attaches to the outside of the shoe.

I was looking at Facebook and saw information about TurboMed XTERN. I thought my myself, “What is this innovative orthosis! I was surprised. I didn't know of any places nearby where I could try it out, so I was just thinking, “I didn't know this kind of orthosis existed,” or “I'll just remember the name."

Then, in January of this year, I read an interview with a Marathoner who ran a Marathon with TurboMed XTERN and sent a comment on Facebook, which led to an invitation from Pacific Supply to become a product reviewer and I was given the opportunity to actually try it out.

The design is unprecedented and once again I thought it was innovative. In particular, sideways movement has become smoother and I can move noticeably lighter. Baseball defense and discus throwing involve a lot of lateral movement, so it has become much easier.

Since it is attached to the outside of the shoe, there is no need to worry about the size difference between the left and right shoe and especially as there are various restrictions on the spikes used in track and field events, it was great to be able to replace the spikes for each shoe.

Competition spike with lace clip attached (left foot)

Now I mainly use it for my hobbies of baseball, javelin throw and discus competitions. In baseball, I participate general baseball as well as baseball for the disabled and I guard various positions. I can play very comfortably because I have TurboMed XTERN that follows my front-back and left-right movements.

I have also started training in para-athletics and hope to break records in the javelin throwing and discus.

We received a comment from Mr. Suzuki after the competition

This time we interviewed Mr. Suzuki, who holds the Japanese record in para-athletics. We were very happy to hear that he encountered TurboMed XTERN in his search for better performance through trial and error, and that it has led to improved performance.

At the time of the interview