My FES and footdrop
Functional Electrical Stimulation or an FES. Is it an answer to foot drop for MS sufferers? I started using it on 16 Dec 2014. My balance has improved to an extent that I almost never fall over, I used to be a frequent faller. I would go so far as to say that has significantly improved my quality of life.
Leg drop glues my foot to the floor
Leg drop glues my foot to the floor. You might think I am joking but I cannot lift my left leg off the ground without help. Its just like foot drop but it affects my thigh instead of my foot and the effect is just the same. Its difficult to imagine the problems until they […]
I attempt a stupid walking challenge, only 100 Km
Earlier this year I tried a stupid walking challenge, only a mere 100 Km over 10 months. I have used an FES for over six years, it helps my walking. A year ago I completed a one hour walk. At the end I was exhausted but it was deeply satisfying especially as I raised over […]
Broken skin: my Functional Electrical Stimulation story
MS affects my left leg and I have been using an FES since late 2014. For the previous 10 years I had used a Musmate a simple mechanical device that is a walking aid for foot-drop. My foot-drop and leg-drop mean that I cannot walk unaided and I walk very slowly. My Functional Electrical Stimulation […]
I’m a lucky guy Fampridine works for me
I take Fampridine and use an FES or Functional Electrical Stimulator, they both improve my quality of life. I can only walk with a rollator and it is agonisingly slow. Without them I would have to use a wheelchair. OK. my left leg is useless courtesy MS but I do have an excellent right leg. […]
Every morning its four sticky FES electrodes
Every morning its four sticky FES electrodes. I must put them on my left leg. Two go onto my thigh and two go just below the knee. I started using the FES two years ago in December 2014. I estimate that I have taken the sticky electrodes off about 720 times and put them back […]
Sticky electrodes and my FES
I started using a Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) in January 2014. It has been my game changer. Without the sticky electrodes and my FES I would probably have to use a wheelchair around the house. Hold on a moment, I would definitely have to use a wheelchair. Instead I have a different life. Sticky electrodes and my […]
The FES has been a life changer
An FES was originally fitted over 18 months ago to help my footdrop. There is no doubt the FES has been a life changer. It makes me feel more confident, I have better balance and a definite ‘I-can-do’ feeling. OK so I still need to use a rollator. The FES has been a life changer At […]
The FES Really Changed My Life
The FES really changed my life. I am quite sure it was the Functional Electrical Stimulator otherwise known as an FES. Originally fitted in December 2014. I immediately stopped falling over with monotonous regularity. Instead I stayed upright, it changed my life for the better . So many people commented that I looked better and […]
Life without a FES would be unthinkable
I have SPMS and seriously disabled with foot drop. I was fitted with a Functional Electrical Stimulator (FES) in December 2014. A consultant from Queens Square, London suggested that it would help my walking. At first I found it very fiddly to setup and this did not inspire me with confidence. Within a few days […]
At Night I Can’t Just Fall Into Bed
It’s the evening, I’m tired and its bedtime but at night I can’t just fall into bed. I have to go through a ritual every evening before I can get into bed and start reading my book. Getting undressed and removing my FES is quite a palaver. If I do this standing up I’m guaranteed to […]
Drop Foot And The FES
It’s now August 2015, time to think about my drop foot and the FES ; I have been using a Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to help me walk since December 2014 that is 9 months. It is a dual channel FES. I cannot lift the toes or front of my left foot off the ground. I cannot […]
Two channel FES
I was fitted with a single channel Functional Electrical Stimulator (FES) in mid December. Sixteen weeks later, at the end of March I was upgraded to a Two Channel FES. The original FES is only able to stimulate one muscle; the new one can stimulate two muscles. The original FES stimulates the muscle to lift the front of the foot. […]
FES, 4 weeks later
I was fitted with a Functional Electric Stimulator (FES) in December 2014. No expectations FES has changed my life but not in ways that I was expecting. Actually I did not really have any expectations. I had not done any research into it; at times I’m so idle. I was only getting one fitted because […]
Walking is 28% Faster with an FES
This is a big question. Can I walk faster with an FES or Functional Electrical Stimulator? How can an FES help me to walk faster? Will it help me? In my previous post about FES I explained how this gadget should help me with my walking. My second visit to the National Hospital for Neurology […]
FES (Functional Electrical Stimulation)
I have foot drop and it has got progressively worse over the last 10 years. FES my new walking aid Foot drop is a paralysis or muscular weakness that makes it very difficult to lift the front part of your foot and toes. It can also be called drop foot. It can cause you to drag your […]
MuSmate a walking aid for foot drop
I have foot drop in my left leg. When the problem started to be an issue I used the MuSmate a walking aid for foot drop. It stops me dragging my toes along the ground and tripping me up. Without the mechanical elastic device called a Musmate I could fall over very easily when walking. The […]
My New Orthosis
I recently visited Amersham hospital and had a new orthosis fitted, it stops foot drop. Strictly speaking its called an orthotic. By preventing foot drop my knee hyperextension will also stop. That is the theory. and even more interesting, the theory works. Better balance Yes, it makes walking easier and I am sure it does […]
