To Morten & Carol- kicking off shoes

[Guest guest]

Here are a few troubleshooting ideas-

First of all, you must make sure that the foot is indeed corrected

and has not relapsed at all if it was initially corrected. If the

heel isn't all the way down in the shoe when you put it on, the child

will be able to get the shoe off easily.

Secondly, if you're using Markell brand Tarso shoes, you can download

their size chart for free on their website to see what size shoes

your little one should be in.

http://www.markellshoe.com/ponsetiflyer.pdf

Make sure you have the newest style of the Tarso shoe with the padded

heel- if you have the old style, you should look into getting the

foam inserts made for the heels (plastizode inserts). See details on

that at http://pages.ivillage.com/ponseti_links under the bracing

section. Morten- I don't know what kind of shoes you have available

to you in Norway...sorry. Here's the link to a Markell distributor

in the UK: http://www.markell.co.uk/

Third- you must make sure that the length of the brace is correct.

The inside edges of the heels of the shoes should be at a distance

equal to the width of the shoulders (see a picture at the

ponseti_links site above also). You may also use the center bolts as

a measurement, but this will make the shoes a bit closer

together...basically you want those shoes at shoulder width.

Hopefully you will have an adjustable length bar. If you have a

fixed bar, then just make sure you keep an eye on it and get the next

larger size as soon as you need it so the brace doesn't get

uncomfortable (I've heard the child can pull their foot out of the

brace easier if it's too narrow also).

The leather strap stretches over time, you may need to adjust the

hole that you're using, or punch additional holes.

I hope this helps you with ideas to keep those feet in the shoes!

Keep us posted-

& (3-16-00)

left clubfoot