"Orthotics"

I had been to the Orthotics and Appliances dept. at Kirkcaldy several times over the years, but gave up a few years ago as I was tired of getting ill-fitted orthotics. I ended up spending so much money going privately to get even worse fitting orthotics.  It got to the point I told my GP that I wasn't going out anymore and was in a lot of pain when walking.  She refered me back to Orthtotics at Kirkcaldy.  I went back last year and found them to be very helpful.  I was told about new styles of AFOs and was able to try out a few before settling on Turbomeds.  My primary Orthotist and she's been great.  She has listened to my concerns and helped me when the supplier of the Turbomeds hadn't given me the proper size.  She gave me the contact details of the new Turbomed suppliers and because of that I was able to speak with a much more knowledgeable team there who sent me the proper sized AFOs.  She also refered me to Physiotherapy because she could see that my balance and strength weren't what they should have been.  I have improved so much over the past 9 months because of the help from Her and of the physio team. 

The only bad thing about the Orthotics and Appliances dept. at Kirkcaldy is that unlike the Physio dept. they don't have a dedicated space for safe walking and movement to test orthtotics or any other device.  They only have a small room, which really isn't fit for purpose.  It has no windows, which hasn't been good during Covid.  There is very little work space for them to make adjustments.  They need a proper workshop and private space with parallel walking bars for more accurate gait analysis, etc.  I have been to private orthotists and they have these spaces, which is invaluable for performing proper assessments.

I am so lucky to have been given Turbomeds, which are not currently available in most NHS boards.  They have improved my walking ability so much and I no longer experience as much pain.  My posture and endurance have also improved.  It has also been nice to know that I can go back and see my primary Orthotist if I need any adjustments or other items of orthics to help me continue to be mobile.