Richie Brace & Custom AFO
Custom ankle foot orthoses for adult acquired flat foot and drop foot, both fixed and spring-assist. Fitted to your own anatomy, assessed properly, and built to keep you moving.
What is a Richie Brace?
An ankle foot orthosis (AFO) is a custom device that controls the position and movement of the foot and ankle. The Richie Brace is the most refined version in common use: a moulded foot orthotic with two semi-rigid uprights and a padded calf cuff, hinged at the ankle, and made from a cast or 3D scan of your own leg and foot.
Because it is articulated rather than a rigid block, it supports and controls the joint while still allowing a natural walking pattern. It is also far lower-profile than a traditional AFO, so it fits inside many normal shoes. That combination of control and comfort is why patients wear it, and compliance is everything with a brace.
We fit two configurations: a fixed, motion-controlling brace for adult acquired flat foot, and a spring-assist brace for drop foot. Which one is right depends entirely on your diagnosis, which is why the assessment comes first.
The Two Braces We Fit
Fixed Richie Brace, for adult acquired flat foot
Set to control and limit the motion that drives the deformity, this brace supports the collapsing hindfoot and arch and offloads the posterior tibial tendon. By holding the foot in a corrected position, it relieves pain, helps halt progression, and in suitable cases can avoid or delay surgery.
Spring-Assist Richie Brace, for drop foot
A dorsiflexion-assist spring lifts the foot through the swing phase of your step, so the toes clear the ground instead of catching and tripping you. It restores a safer, smoother gait while still allowing natural ankle movement, and it is far more dynamic and discreet than a rigid drop-foot splint.
Conditions We Treat
Adult Acquired Flat Foot (PTTD)
A progressive flattening of the arch caused by failure of the posterior tibial tendon, the main support of the arch. Left unmanaged it tends to worsen and become rigid. A fixed Richie Brace supports the tendon and arch and controls the deformity, often avoiding the need for surgery in flexible stages.
Drop Foot
Difficulty lifting the front of the foot, causing toe drag, trips, and a high-stepping gait. Causes include stroke, multiple sclerosis, peripheral nerve injury, L5 nerve-root problems, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. The spring-assist brace restores swing-phase clearance while the underlying cause is managed.
Related conditions
We also use custom AFOs for ankle osteoarthritis, chronic ankle instability, and selected neuromuscular conditions where the foot and ankle need controlled support.
Why a Custom Richie Brace, Not an Off-the-Shelf AFO
What to Expect
Assessment
A full biomechanical and gait assessment. For flat foot we scan the posterior tibial tendon with diagnostic ultrasound to stage the condition, so the brace is prescribed to your actual anatomy.
Scan or cast
We capture the precise shape of your foot and lower leg with a 3D scan or plaster cast. This is what the brace is built from.
Custom manufacture
Your Richie Brace is made to prescription: fixed and motion-controlling for flat foot, or with a dorsiflexion-assist spring for drop foot.
Fitting & adjustment
We fit the brace, check it in your own shoes, and fine-tune it so it controls the foot without rubbing or pinching.
Review
A follow-up to confirm the fit and function as you wear it in, with adjustments as needed.
Travelling from a distance? Many of our brace patients do. We will plan your appointments to keep trips to a minimum. No GP referral needed.
Why Patients Travel to Us
Custom AFO and Richie Brace fitting is a niche service, and few clinics wrap it in a proper diagnostic assessment. We stage your condition with diagnostic ultrasound and gait analysis, prescribe the right brace for your exact anatomy, and back it with in-house orthotic expertise. That is why patients travel to us from across Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK, and Ireland for this.
Your Clinicians
Paul McMullan BSc(Hons) MSc FRCPSGlasg MRCPod holds a Master's degree in Podiatric Sports Medicine from Queen Mary University of London and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, with advanced training in diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound and biomechanics.
Darren Costello BSc(Hons) MSc MRCPSGlasg HCPC MRCPod holds an MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine from Ulster University and is completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Lower Limb MSK Ultrasonography at Brunel University London, with a particular focus on biomechanics and gait.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Richie Brace & Custom AFO at Lower Limb Clinic.
Book an Assessment
- Patients travel UK & Ireland-wide
- No GP referral needed
- BUPA & WPA recognised
Find Your Nearest Clinic
Get specialist Richie Brace & Custom AFO treatment at your nearest Belfast clinic
Lisburn Road Clinic
385 Lisburn Road, BT9 7EP
Ormeau Road Clinic
373 Ormeau Road, BT7 3GP
We serve patients from across Belfast and Northern Ireland including East Belfast, South Belfast, Lisburn, Bangor, Holywood, Newtownards, Dundonald, Carryduff, Hillsborough, and Comber.