(C) 2025, Isaiah Jacobs
A friend of mine suggested that I write a post specifically focusing on the advantages of wearing the Arizona Braces. Thankfully, she thought of this idea as it’s a good one. Before I share them, you can read the other parts of this series by following this link to the first post, Charcot-Marie-Tooth: My Journey to Using Arizona Braces.
After wearing the Arizona Braces for a few weeks to break them in, I discovered several advantages to this product. By advantages, I mean instead of going without braces, which is something I could do, but have learned not to do very often, for long distances, or most yard chores.
The braces support my ankles. My ankles turn out and twist when I walk, which puts me at a higher risk of spraining or breaking them. That is a trait of most Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) patients. I guess that if I broke my ankle, it would be harder for a doctor to repair due to the deformity in my feet. Since braces provide support for my ankles, the concern that I will turn my ankle on every step is gone.
This definitely reduces the stress of constantly watching where I walk.
I tend to lose my balance. I can be walking or standing still, and all of a sudden, I lose my balance. It’s as if the legs lose their strength, especially when I am standing. However, the braces prevent that from becoming a nasty fall.
I can go the distance. In the early days of my life, I could walk for a considerable distance without any challenges. As time went on and CMT progressed, the distance began to shorten. While I can still walk almost a half-mile without braces, wearing good supporting walking shoes, I cannot go much further.
With my Arizona Braces, over time, not immediately, I have been able to walk nearly four miles with my dog! By not immediately, I mean that my dog and I worked up to it over time.
Considerably less pain and cramps in my legs and feet. Although there is pain during the break-in period of using Arizona Braces, eventually it goes away. Additionally, the severe pain in my feet, especially at the end of the day, which I had before getting them, is gone. I wish that the pain were permanently gone, but when I am on my feet for a very long day, I have pain, like most people do.
The great point to this is that I can be on my feet for an eight-hour day doing yard work and experience significantly less pain than I would without braces.
The Arizona Braces give me the strength to start my John Deere X590 and mow my yard. I have tried to start it without them, and it’s challenging to do so. Additionally, I can drive the mower more efficiently with more strength while wearing them.
The braces allow me to do yard work more easily. I have noticed this year, in particular, that the braces enable me to lift large bags of mulch to spread throughout my gardens much more easily than I can without them. Actually, I probably could not move or carry the bags without them.
I am more excited to do an activity. I am more likely to go and do whatever comes up with my braces than I would without them.
Twists, turns, and moving fast are now easy. While I don’t typically make fast turns or twists or move quickly on my feet, as I still pay attention to how I walk, I find these maneuvers to be easy to do. After I found myself doing a quick “about-face” maneuver, I realized I had done it successfully.
There are multiple options for braces. I recommend meeting with an Orthopaedic Surgeon and/or a Director of Orthotics and Bracing to help you choose the best option.
