Posted April 14, 2022
Here are photos of hiking the Grand Canyon from the South Kaibab trail down to Phantom Ranch (March 27th) wearing my ReAktiv brace you made for me. After celebrating with a Lemonade we hiked back up to the South Rim on the Bright Angel trail. A total of 18.1 miles and over 5,000 feet of elevation gain. Amazingly my ankle never hurt or got swollen (picture shows no swelling).
Having not hiked much since fall I struggled a lot – especially on the downhill. There were literally thousands of one to one and a half foot step downs. My quads took a beating until I adjusted by putting my pack on my front instead of on my back. The brace absorbed all the shock on my left leg but my right leg took more of a pounding. My assessment is that I need a few more hikes to dial in my hiking technique with the brace after this arduous hike, but there is zero chance I could have completed the hike without it.
The brace was a tremendous game changer. I am curious if we could try a less rigid bar that might allow a bit more flexion while still effectively absorbing the shock. I believe there are five different flexes of bars and mine was, I think, in the middle. Searching for that “sweet spot”.
This was a bucket list hike I never really thought I had a shot at ever doing since my total ankle replacement. Thanks to you and your team that created the ReAktiv brace this dream came true.
With great appreciation,
Casey R.
Our patient care facilities are all accredited by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthotics, Inc. (ABC). This means we have chosen to have our patient care centers measured against the most rigorous standards in the profession. We have the staff, equipment and expertise that ABC believes are important for the delivery of high quality patient care.