Product Review

The Step-Smart is a low profile, light weight, energy efficient brace that is a favorite of Drop Foot sufferers who want to maintain a natural gait and flexibility in their ankle and toes. BioMechanically, the Step-Smart design is more energy efficient than the competitive designs. It's more desirable than the stiff design, since it allows for good plantarflexion at heel strike. It's more desirable than the flexible designs, since it is preloaded. The benefit of a preload on the system is critical to shock absorption. Also, the Dorsi Flexion assist joints allows the best clearance at swing phase.

With drop foot, however, it is not desirable to have a design with free plantarflexion. Naturally, our bodies control the deceleration at heel strike with an eccentric contraction of the dorsiflexors. This combined with a slight flexion moment at the knee is what creates the best shock absorption. With other flexible solutions, there is too much plantarflexion at heel strike causing foot slap. The result is trauma and pain to the calcaneous.

The reason that the Step-Smart design is superior to the others is that it provides resistance to plantarflexion the instant the heel hits the ground. Some other designs need to be plantarflexed before the resistance is high enough to be effective. By then it is too late. The shock of hitting the ground has already damaged the foot and ankle. The new Step-Smart provides a pre-load that controls deceleration at contact.

Features:
Regain ankle action with patented Jacob Joints
3/4 foot plate retains feeling and flexibility in toes (allows for easy walking on inclines)
Designed for clearance on swing phase
Engineered to handle shock absorption at heel strike
Compression Components (bumpers) allow individualized resistance adjustments. Green=least resistance; Amber=mid level; Black=greatest resistance