Responses to Walk Aide Inquiry
Paula
Description
Collection
Title:
Responses to Walk Aide Inquiry
Creator:
Paula
Date:
10/10/2008
Text:
For those interested.below is an array of replies regarding the Walk Aide
(I've posted them anonymously)
Thank you to all who responded the feed back was varied and very valuable.
We have fit approximately 20 Walk Aides thus far between our two offices.
We have found that after the first 3 or 4 patients you develop a level of of
comfort working with the device. I feel these patients have benefited
significantly, with some results being life changing.(ie/ no longer solely
depending on wheelchair or scooter )
It is important to know and understand that it does take time and effort on
your behalf as a practioner, as well as patients themselves for the Walk
Aide to be a success. This is not a device that you just put on a patient
and they go! Proper education (to the patient) and patience (from both you
and the patient) is needed. However, overall ,the benefits obtained are
well worth the effort involved.
-------------
In response to your request for commentary on the WalkAide, I can tell you
that we incorporated it into our practice in January and have enjoyed great
success. The patient response to this has been quite surprising. My only
word of caution is to be prepared to dedicate the time needed to really
understand how the technology works and be willing to go through that
dreaded learning curve.
Good luck
------------------
I was the first non-Hangar orthotist in my areal to be trained in the
Walkaide, I as blown away by the concept and technology when I first learned
of it. My enthusiasm has subsided after 50+ patients I tried it on. I have
sold 4 or 5. The Walkaide, in my possibly over simplified mind, is simply a
programmable on/off switch based upon tilt---nothing more. Sure, you can
fine tune the stimulus a bit, but it's still just an on/off switch. I've
learned lots about the people it does not work on. Forget about anyone with
recurvatum, the WA can not be taught to turn on when the knee is hyper
extended. Forget about successfully using a knee brace to control recurvatum
and using a WA---i'ts just too much junk to put on for anyone. If the on/off
feature is so precise and sensitive why is is stuck to the calf cuff with
Velcro that allows it to bounce and wiggle during high speed gait. When it
is not at the precise position it was programmed to on/off it just
doesn't work. When a patient takes a unusual step the WA is in on/off out
of phase and it takes a few normal steps to get it back in sync. The WA
brags about how they can use it barefooted, I have learned that the settings
designed for use in a shoe are useless when barefooted unless they have
absolutely normal heel cord ROM, and no tone. I have found no one like this
in my trials. WA teachings preach about neuro-plasticity. They show brain
mapping slides of improvements in brain function. With all the WA's in use
don't you think if there was one iota of truth to these permanent
improvements and neuro-changes that someone would have graduated from the WA
to no WA? I'm not aware of ONE person that has made this leap. If it happens
it will be on national news and WA should get the Nobel prize. WA preaches
how the WA reciprocal inhibition decreases tone. A couple of patients had
much MORE spasticity with stimulation of the superficial peroneal nerve than
they ever had in an AFO, it just doesn't happen in all patients. The pile
Velcro that covers the plastic cuff is crap, for 5K you would think that the
velcro should last more than 3 months. WA computer geeks do not keep people
up to date with changes that affect compatibility with Microsoft Windows.
Just last week I had a patient here that had travelled 200 miles for a
trial. The WA would not function at all. The next day I spoke to their geek,
he said that all the computers that had downloaded Service Pack 2 from
Microsoft would not be able to communicate with the WA software with out a
tweak, which he walked me through. My point is that they knew the WA
software was useless to upgraded computers, they should have notified us
first rather that wait untill we had a problem on our hands. My biggest
fundamental change in enthusiasm is that I came to realize a well designed
and functioning AFO works 100% of the time to stop foot drop, in all
environments, at all gait speeds, with all gait deviations. One bad fall
because a WA failed to stim will make all involved in distributing and using
this technology re think it's usefulness. These are my observations only, I
hope they help guide your decision making.
You should contact Phillip Muccio from Bioflex Wearable Therapy before
making a decision. Our facility utilized Walk-Aid and found the system to
be very ineffective in providing true dorsiflexion for our patients. It
seemed to create eversion rather then true dorsiflexion. Also the tilt
sensor is not always reliable for the patient. We then switched to Phillips
technology which provided great dorsiflexion and we could address any part
of the body utilizing NMES. GREAT OUTCOMES!!!
Check out his Web Site at wearabletherapy.com
THEY WORK BEST ON A FRAIL FOOT WITH NO TONE-----THEY WORK PRETTY GOOD WITH
SOME TONE ----DONT WORK WORTH A DAM IF THERE IS A TIGHT ACHL. TENDON
-----FOR YOUR FIRST PATIENT I WOULD STICK WITH YOUR BASIC CVA----YOU WILL
NOT SEE GREAT CHANGES FOR OTHER DIAGS----THERE IS A CONSTANT COST OF THE
SENSOR PADS THAT ARE REPLACED EVERY 2 WEEKS OR SO ...
KEEP IN MING PEOPLE EXPECT ALOT FOR A 5K GIZMO--AND IF IT DOESNT PERFORM IN
THE WAY (((THEY THINK IT SHOULD ))THEYLL BE PISSED....
KEEP IN MIND --YOU HAVE TO BUY ONE FOR YOURSLF AND PROMISS NOT TO SELL
IT--THE PATIENT CANT LEAVE WITH YOUR UNIT ---AND IF ALL WORKS OUT THEY WILL
ORDER ONE ------THINK ABOUT HAW MANY CVAS DO YOU SEE THAT CAN PAY 5K OUT OF
POCKET ????MY PATIENT POPULATION IN THIS AREA IS MEDICADE /
NOW IF I NEEDE D A UNIT FOR MYSELF / WIFE /DAD / MOM / AND AUNT ELSIE I CAN
AFFORD TO BUY AS IM SURE YOU CAN ALSO---BUT NOT EVERYONE CAN ---HOPE THE INF
HELPS ...
KEEP IN MIND THAT MOST PROFESSIONAL CAN SUPPLY THIS UNIT ---PTS--OTS --DR
OFFICES ----REPRESENTITIVES--ETC SO IT IS NOT EXCLUSIVE FOR UO THE ORTHOTIS
/ PROSTHETIST----WHO KNOWS NEXT WEEK IT MIGHT BE ON E BAY
walk aide - we, as an office, have sold 4 or 5 - they are great for the
right people but can be quite a lot of work - patients can be needy &
demanding too (esp once they've spent the money)clinically i think the walk
aide is very exciting - i would encourage john to utilize the locale
innovative neurotronics rep if he plans to do one - she's awesome - sarah -
her # etc is on their website
I am in the same position as you. Upon completion of this note I will be
ordering my unit. I have been rangling over this since taking the course
last April. I feel I must position myself to meet my competition who all
provide this device. Also, I looked at my community and feel it is affluent
enough to pay for the device. As you know, it does not have a code
presently so a cash pay deal. Also consider your area rep. I have a very
good guy that has been helping me through the first ones. If you dont have
that, better be good with programing the device. For me, abit challenging.
Good luck on your decision.
Here is the truth as I see it Walkaide is a great tool to have in you bag of
tricks to help patients. I have fit thirteen in 2 1/2 years, they reccommend
8 follow-up appts, the first 5 are training for the family and the patient,
the last three are really follow up. It is not for everybody but works well
on the right patient. If you patient is pediatric, please e-mail me back for
specific instructions as IN does not know what I have learned at this point.
I am planning to publish(in May 2009) some info that they probably don't
know, My Practice is Pediatric and my own daughter is a patient. If the
patient is MS, BE CAREFULL you may unmask other problems. I'm listed on
thier international distributors page.
Our overall experience with the Walk Aid has been that consistent placement
of the electrodes to produce optimal response is a continuing challenge.
The cuff only does a marginal job in providing reproducibility of electrode
placement. I know of one practitioner who claims that he always provides
custom cuffs with the system. The software learning curve has also proven
to be a challenge for me, as I do not find it very intuitive. I wish that
more time could have been devoted during the course to use of the software
to solve fitting problems. When I inquired if I could arrange an on site
follow-up by one of the IN personnel, I was informed that I would need to
have perhaps 4-6 potential patients present to make the visit worthwhile.
(As a side note, Bioness was very happy to come on-site to demonstrate the
system on a single patient.) Finally, at the cost that we are asking our
patients to pay for this system, I want to be sure that when they get home
they will be able to achieve consistent daily satisfaction with the product.
So far, our outcomes have been very variable.
Thanks again for the feedback..
Paula Rogerson-Doherty
Business & Administrative Manager
Rogerson Orthopedic ~ Advanced Orthotic & Prosthetic Services
483 Southampton Street - PO Box 493
Boston, MA 02127
Ph: (617) 268-1135 Fx: (617) 269-3373
www.rogersonorthopedic.com
(I've posted them anonymously)
Thank you to all who responded the feed back was varied and very valuable.
We have fit approximately 20 Walk Aides thus far between our two offices.
We have found that after the first 3 or 4 patients you develop a level of of
comfort working with the device. I feel these patients have benefited
significantly, with some results being life changing.(ie/ no longer solely
depending on wheelchair or scooter )
It is important to know and understand that it does take time and effort on
your behalf as a practioner, as well as patients themselves for the Walk
Aide to be a success. This is not a device that you just put on a patient
and they go! Proper education (to the patient) and patience (from both you
and the patient) is needed. However, overall ,the benefits obtained are
well worth the effort involved.
-------------
In response to your request for commentary on the WalkAide, I can tell you
that we incorporated it into our practice in January and have enjoyed great
success. The patient response to this has been quite surprising. My only
word of caution is to be prepared to dedicate the time needed to really
understand how the technology works and be willing to go through that
dreaded learning curve.
Good luck
------------------
I was the first non-Hangar orthotist in my areal to be trained in the
Walkaide, I as blown away by the concept and technology when I first learned
of it. My enthusiasm has subsided after 50+ patients I tried it on. I have
sold 4 or 5. The Walkaide, in my possibly over simplified mind, is simply a
programmable on/off switch based upon tilt---nothing more. Sure, you can
fine tune the stimulus a bit, but it's still just an on/off switch. I've
learned lots about the people it does not work on. Forget about anyone with
recurvatum, the WA can not be taught to turn on when the knee is hyper
extended. Forget about successfully using a knee brace to control recurvatum
and using a WA---i'ts just too much junk to put on for anyone. If the on/off
feature is so precise and sensitive why is is stuck to the calf cuff with
Velcro that allows it to bounce and wiggle during high speed gait. When it
is not at the precise position it was programmed to on/off it just
doesn't work. When a patient takes a unusual step the WA is in on/off out
of phase and it takes a few normal steps to get it back in sync. The WA
brags about how they can use it barefooted, I have learned that the settings
designed for use in a shoe are useless when barefooted unless they have
absolutely normal heel cord ROM, and no tone. I have found no one like this
in my trials. WA teachings preach about neuro-plasticity. They show brain
mapping slides of improvements in brain function. With all the WA's in use
don't you think if there was one iota of truth to these permanent
improvements and neuro-changes that someone would have graduated from the WA
to no WA? I'm not aware of ONE person that has made this leap. If it happens
it will be on national news and WA should get the Nobel prize. WA preaches
how the WA reciprocal inhibition decreases tone. A couple of patients had
much MORE spasticity with stimulation of the superficial peroneal nerve than
they ever had in an AFO, it just doesn't happen in all patients. The pile
Velcro that covers the plastic cuff is crap, for 5K you would think that the
velcro should last more than 3 months. WA computer geeks do not keep people
up to date with changes that affect compatibility with Microsoft Windows.
Just last week I had a patient here that had travelled 200 miles for a
trial. The WA would not function at all. The next day I spoke to their geek,
he said that all the computers that had downloaded Service Pack 2 from
Microsoft would not be able to communicate with the WA software with out a
tweak, which he walked me through. My point is that they knew the WA
software was useless to upgraded computers, they should have notified us
first rather that wait untill we had a problem on our hands. My biggest
fundamental change in enthusiasm is that I came to realize a well designed
and functioning AFO works 100% of the time to stop foot drop, in all
environments, at all gait speeds, with all gait deviations. One bad fall
because a WA failed to stim will make all involved in distributing and using
this technology re think it's usefulness. These are my observations only, I
hope they help guide your decision making.
You should contact Phillip Muccio from Bioflex Wearable Therapy before
making a decision. Our facility utilized Walk-Aid and found the system to
be very ineffective in providing true dorsiflexion for our patients. It
seemed to create eversion rather then true dorsiflexion. Also the tilt
sensor is not always reliable for the patient. We then switched to Phillips
technology which provided great dorsiflexion and we could address any part
of the body utilizing NMES. GREAT OUTCOMES!!!
Check out his Web Site at wearabletherapy.com
THEY WORK BEST ON A FRAIL FOOT WITH NO TONE-----THEY WORK PRETTY GOOD WITH
SOME TONE ----DONT WORK WORTH A DAM IF THERE IS A TIGHT ACHL. TENDON
-----FOR YOUR FIRST PATIENT I WOULD STICK WITH YOUR BASIC CVA----YOU WILL
NOT SEE GREAT CHANGES FOR OTHER DIAGS----THERE IS A CONSTANT COST OF THE
SENSOR PADS THAT ARE REPLACED EVERY 2 WEEKS OR SO ...
KEEP IN MING PEOPLE EXPECT ALOT FOR A 5K GIZMO--AND IF IT DOESNT PERFORM IN
THE WAY (((THEY THINK IT SHOULD ))THEYLL BE PISSED....
KEEP IN MIND --YOU HAVE TO BUY ONE FOR YOURSLF AND PROMISS NOT TO SELL
IT--THE PATIENT CANT LEAVE WITH YOUR UNIT ---AND IF ALL WORKS OUT THEY WILL
ORDER ONE ------THINK ABOUT HAW MANY CVAS DO YOU SEE THAT CAN PAY 5K OUT OF
POCKET ????MY PATIENT POPULATION IN THIS AREA IS MEDICADE /
NOW IF I NEEDE D A UNIT FOR MYSELF / WIFE /DAD / MOM / AND AUNT ELSIE I CAN
AFFORD TO BUY AS IM SURE YOU CAN ALSO---BUT NOT EVERYONE CAN ---HOPE THE INF
HELPS ...
KEEP IN MIND THAT MOST PROFESSIONAL CAN SUPPLY THIS UNIT ---PTS--OTS --DR
OFFICES ----REPRESENTITIVES--ETC SO IT IS NOT EXCLUSIVE FOR UO THE ORTHOTIS
/ PROSTHETIST----WHO KNOWS NEXT WEEK IT MIGHT BE ON E BAY
walk aide - we, as an office, have sold 4 or 5 - they are great for the
right people but can be quite a lot of work - patients can be needy &
demanding too (esp once they've spent the money)clinically i think the walk
aide is very exciting - i would encourage john to utilize the locale
innovative neurotronics rep if he plans to do one - she's awesome - sarah -
her # etc is on their website
I am in the same position as you. Upon completion of this note I will be
ordering my unit. I have been rangling over this since taking the course
last April. I feel I must position myself to meet my competition who all
provide this device. Also, I looked at my community and feel it is affluent
enough to pay for the device. As you know, it does not have a code
presently so a cash pay deal. Also consider your area rep. I have a very
good guy that has been helping me through the first ones. If you dont have
that, better be good with programing the device. For me, abit challenging.
Good luck on your decision.
Here is the truth as I see it Walkaide is a great tool to have in you bag of
tricks to help patients. I have fit thirteen in 2 1/2 years, they reccommend
8 follow-up appts, the first 5 are training for the family and the patient,
the last three are really follow up. It is not for everybody but works well
on the right patient. If you patient is pediatric, please e-mail me back for
specific instructions as IN does not know what I have learned at this point.
I am planning to publish(in May 2009) some info that they probably don't
know, My Practice is Pediatric and my own daughter is a patient. If the
patient is MS, BE CAREFULL you may unmask other problems. I'm listed on
thier international distributors page.
Our overall experience with the Walk Aid has been that consistent placement
of the electrodes to produce optimal response is a continuing challenge.
The cuff only does a marginal job in providing reproducibility of electrode
placement. I know of one practitioner who claims that he always provides
custom cuffs with the system. The software learning curve has also proven
to be a challenge for me, as I do not find it very intuitive. I wish that
more time could have been devoted during the course to use of the software
to solve fitting problems. When I inquired if I could arrange an on site
follow-up by one of the IN personnel, I was informed that I would need to
have perhaps 4-6 potential patients present to make the visit worthwhile.
(As a side note, Bioness was very happy to come on-site to demonstrate the
system on a single patient.) Finally, at the cost that we are asking our
patients to pay for this system, I want to be sure that when they get home
they will be able to achieve consistent daily satisfaction with the product.
So far, our outcomes have been very variable.
Thanks again for the feedback..
Paula Rogerson-Doherty
Business & Administrative Manager
Rogerson Orthopedic ~ Advanced Orthotic & Prosthetic Services
483 Southampton Street - PO Box 493
Boston, MA 02127
Ph: (617) 268-1135 Fx: (617) 269-3373
www.rogersonorthopedic.com
Citation
Paula, “Responses to Walk Aide Inquiry,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 5, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/229691.
