It's been a long time since Matt has had PT, but his doctor wasn't happy with how he's walking and thought he should get back into it. Matt is walking more and faster than he ever has, but has a slightly awkward gate. He can't bend his knee completely and doesn't have the ability to lift his toes as he steps. The anterior tibialis muscles are just too weak - when he picks up his foot, it curls in instead of straight up. For now it is okay, but if he walks like this for 20 years, he's going to have some orthopedic issues.
His new PT hooked him up with a different electrical stimulation unit that straps onto his leg and into his shoe. It senses when he begins to take a step and stims the muscles to work & pick up his toes. Then when he steps down on his heel, it turns off and lets the foot relax. He has to concentrate on bending his knee more, but it really looks great to see him walking so naturally. We'll try to get video during his next session so you can see how it works.
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