For anyone who's never used one, an FES (Functional Electrical Stimulation) device is actually a brilliant bit of kit for foot drop. You stick two electrode pads on your leg, one around the nerve below the knee and another over the muscle. When they're in the right place, the FES sends a small electrical pulse that lifts your foot as you walk. Pad placement is important. VERY important. A few millimetres one way: lovely controlled foot lift. 👌 A few millimetres the other way: your calf starts trying to kick-start a motorbike that isn't there. 🏍️😂 Mine also has a little heel sensor in my shoe. Heel lifts, sensor tells the FES, FES fires, foot lifts. That's the theory. Once you've found the sweet spot for the pads and got the strength right, it's genuinely clever. My toes clear the floor better, my walking is smoother, and I trip less. Excellent technology. Unfortunately, they gave this technology to me. Mine came with the standard NHS nickel batteries. They don't last forever, so I had what seemed like a perfectly sensible idea: Duracell lithium. 🔋 Longer lasting. Same device. Same settings. What could possibly go wrong? Batteries in. First step... BANG. ⚡ My foot didn't gently lift. It attempted an emergency evacuation. I nearly hit the floor like I'd grabbed an electric fence and forgotten the important second step of letting go of it. Then my foot twitched. Heel sensor detected movement. BANG. Another twitch. BANG. Now I'm desperately trying to grab the FES while my leg has apparently entered the spin cycle. At this point foot drop had technically been cured. My foot was spending remarkably little time anywhere near the floor. 🚀 BATTERIES OUT. I put the NHS nickel batteries straight back in and apologised to them individually. 😂 So yes, FES genuinely helps me. Pad placement takes a little practice, you need to get the strength right, and once it's dialled in it's a cracking bit of technology. So maybe use it as prescribed rather than trying to unlock the sports package. 😂 Although... If I put the lithiums back in and turn it up to 11, can you get abs on your calf? Asking for a friend. 🦵😂 FES: 9/10 Foot drop: improved Calf workout: phenomenal Battery experiment: character building Free will: optional extra. ⚡😂