Peripheral sensory neuropathy - Anyone tried Walkasins?

Welcome @stgeorge, @yette shared their experience above - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/1328324/.

Are you considering getting them?

OMG 😱

That’s a little steep, and not affordable for most people. Please let us know if you get a response.

I signed up for one of the support groups on the foundation website, but have yet had an opportunity to join one in progress. I will email Katherine and inquire about this. She has been very helpful to me.

Thanks for the info.

There are good results that the Walkins nerve stimulation helps with balance.

RE: Drop FOOT
I have had idopathic PN ''Non-Diabetic for going on 10 yrs. Started in my right foot but moved to the left foot where it has become the problem side for me. The doctors tested me and the left side was considerable (severer). I've been to three specialists who were all different and each tried their own remedies for pain. The first tried a blood pressure ciloztasol medication. It actually worked for a while. This med centers on providing more blood flow to the lower extremities. AFTER still having pain he lost interest in me. The second specialist focused on Gabapentin and got me up to 1800 mg whereupon I became cognitively an idiot. He told me he was moving and recommeded me elsewhere. Third doctor put me on pregabalin (lydocaine) and was reluctant to change my doseage..he slowly got me up to 50 mg morning and night. I still had severe pain in my left foot. Starting with drop foot. My regular MD saw this and we talked. She suggested 50 mg in early am, 50 mg early pm and 75 mg at bedtime. This helped...so much for specialist. She also recommended that I see a back specialist. He detected an area of spinal stenosis that he thought needed attention. Saw a specialist in microsurgery (Vanderbilt) who agreed with the diagnosis. He performed microsurgery on the stenosis. Happily afterwards with rehab I have a left side that hurts just like the right side with no drop foot. You might want to try a spinal specialist to see if you have spinal stenosis, Just my experience and I hope it might help people in a similar situation. Steve PS I am still on the prescription from my regular MD. She seems to have a more holistic perspective which has given me more ( partial) relief. I've tried all the meds etc. Now I also use my own prescription of essential oils with lydocaine. (posted this previously under creams when my pain gets excessive)

@snagydude
Kathleene - good to hear that things have improved for you. It seems that you have exactly the same situation as I have. I also had the microsurgery at Vanderbilt but my spinal cord got infected and I had a really bad time for 6 months...actually fooled some doctors who thought that I wouldn't survive. BUT I'm still here. You are actually at the point where you recognize that you are one of your best friends who can take good care of yourself. I have done it all and am now going beyond traditional medicine. Most doctors will only stay traditional to avoid lawsuits for not providing standard care. My current situation is seeing my neuropathy diminishing. Yes diminishing. I have found some providers of Hyperbaric treatment. To date, I have had this treatment going on 10 times. It is not cheap and not supported by insurance. I've seen my neuropathy retreat from my knees to my ankles. Furthermore all the pain on the bottom of my feet is now much less. People are amazed that I am more active and doing better. I'm not saying that hyperbaric treatment is good for you. It is just an option that you may not have heard of. Please self educate. I go to Dayton TN for treatment. Do yourself a favor and look into it. Good luck...you are your strongest advocate and only you can take action. I've also gotten into TENS treatment on my feet. It seems to supplement the hyperbarics. PS lots of quacks in this area...so be careful. I make sure that a nurse is present when I get hyperbaric care.

@snagydude
What is the Hyperbaric treatment? Where can I get more information?

@snagydude
What is the Hyperbaric treatment? Where can I get more information?

I recently filled out the form on the RXFunction web site. Within a week I had a call from a representative of the company. She asked me some basic info questions, got my insurance information and asked for the name of my primary care doctor. She said they would check to see if my insurance would cover this device, which is now FDA approved. They have been widely distributed for patients who get health care through the VA, as the VA does pay for them. At one time there were a few states, including Georgia, where they could not operate for some reason, but that has now changed. About a week after the call, I went to my Primary Care to have blood drawn for my annual physical, which was a week later. That was three weeks ago. I mentioned my balance issues to the PA and she asked if I had contacted a company about walkasins. I told her I had. She said a representative of the company had shown up a few days prior to show them the device and explain how it worked. When I saw my Primary Care Doctor two weeks ago, he had gotten the word that I was interested in pursuing the Walkasins but needed help from insurance. He was in the process of filling out the paperwork for insurance and he added a few balance tests in with my physical so that he could note the results on the forms. Well, yesterday I received a call from the representative who lives in the Atlanta area. ( I am in Macon, GA). He had driven down to pick up the paperwork my doctor had completed and he wanted to come by to let me actually try the devices, and at the same time I needed to sign a form giving the company permission to pursue payment assistance through my insurance, which is BCBS Medicare Advantage. He arrived at my home about 30 minutes later. We chatted a bit about my balance issues... and he showed me the devices and explained a bit about how they work. Next came the trial. He slipped the insole portion into each of my shoes. I then slipped on the shoes. Then he placed the devices around each ankle and attached them to the insole by an lead that looked similar to the cables inside a computer. He turned them on with a push of a button, and I immediately noticed a slight vibrations in different spots beneath my feet as I put pressure on them. We went outside to try them on my walkway and driveway. I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!! There was an IMMEDIATE improvement in my balance.... and as I walked I felt like I did before my neuropathy began three years ago. I had assumed it would take time to get used to them.... but no, there was an immediate shift in my sense of balance and confidence in walking. All I noticed was tiny vibrations in the part of the insole that was being pressed as I moved through the steps. It was very light....and it was a vibration, not a shock like with a TENS unit. The Walkasins were not uncomfortable in the least, and he said that the more I used them, the more receptive my brain would become to those slight vibrations. The basic idea, as I understood it, was that the nerves on the bottom of the foot are no longer firing like they did before. But those in the ankle are still working. The vibrations from the bottom of my feet were sending signals via bluetooth to the cuffs around my ankles.... and that was immediately being transmitted to my brain, thus helping to restore my proprioception. He said these devices work on the same principle as a hearing aid that sends signals to the tiny hair follicals inside the inner ear... that in turn translates to sound for the brain to perceive. The Walkasins were invented by Lars Oddsson, PhD, who is of Swedish descent. More about his background here: https://med.umn.edu/bio/lars-oddsson He founded the RXFunction company in Minneapolis, but these devices are available all over the US ... and expanding. With my permission, the rep will have the company pursue coverage with my insurance. All I can do at this point is wait. I did ask how much the Walkasins were if insurance paid nothing. He told me not to worry about that, as they were going to do their best to get approval from insurance. When pressed, he finally said that private pay for the devices was $10,500, which would NOT be something I could afford. So today, as I wobble around my home and my yard as before, I'm hoping I haven't been shown a real solution to my balance issues but I won't be able to get it because of insurance not covering. THEY REALLY DID WORK. And I mean from that very first moment I walked with them. It was absolutely amazing!! So, for ANYONE reading this who has medical coverage via the V.A., contact the company and ask about them. The V.A. does provide them when needed!! And if there is a chance that insurance my help with the cost to make them affordable, DO contact the company. Here is the link to their web site: https://rxfunction.com/patients/

Hoping and praying this may be something that will help me!!! Best wishes to all...... Mike

@domiha Hey I tested them the other day and they were remarkable I am 73 yrs old and on insulin of some sort since10 yrs old, NEUROPTHY at least for 7-8 yrs from a cane to walker and now wheel chair waiting now for Insurance to get the WALKERS i have MEDICARE a -b and also BC/BS
Tim Nolan.