Guest guest Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 Just curious here - what kind of long term testing has been done to make sure this Dobbs bar will do the right thing over the long haul? I've wondered this about the shoes, also. Something new comes out that looks and seems better so we all jump on it, but do we really know if these things are going to perform the necessary long term results? I still have a measure of doubt with the shoes with the way Everett stands up in them and his toes point so far down wards, and the leather being so soft he has quite a bit of mobility inside the shoe no matter how tight I strap it. s. Dobbs Brace Just wanted to throw this out there again. I spoke w/ Dr. Dobbs about getting the brace available to more people -- he said that parents who are very interested in the articulating bar can contact the orthotics lab here at Children's Hospital. If anyone is interested you can email me privately for the contact information, jagrindon@... Since the brace is not widely available yet I don't know what kind of supply/demand they can keep up with. And of course it would be up to you to either pay out of pocket, or get your Ortho to write a prescription for this brace specifically and possibly have to explain to your insurance why you need this brace and not the traditional one. Good news though -- I just talked to the Orthotics lab and they said that the complete brace set (bar and afo style shoes) is $2000, BUT the bar by itself (which can attach to the bottom of Markell shoes with the same screw and bolt as the gold bar) is only $246! Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04, RCF, Dobb's brace 16-18/7) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 How about emailing this exact question do Dr. Ponseti? Shook Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc. 2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500 Vienna, VA 22182 x374 x374 fax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 I guess because I really just hate to bother the old guy with trivial stuff. Re: Dobbs Brace How about emailing this exact question do Dr. Ponseti? Shook Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc. 2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500 Vienna, VA 22182 x374 x374 fax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 Although I understand your concern, I for one can say that my daughter's feet haave never looked better. she is in the mitchell's and i think they are great! after all dr.p recommended us changing from the markellls to the mitchell's. Didnt he help design the ponseti brace? I totally trust him because my daughter has been doing great w/ the mitchell's. No blisters, no slipping out of the shoe, no wondering if they are on right. I can say for my daughter that she is doing great in them. I guess every child is different and you being his mom see a reason for concern. I have not noticed any thing unusal about how she stands or getting them tight enough. For now anyways. and BL CF 12/16/03 > Just curious here - what kind of long term testing has been done to make sure this Dobbs bar will do the right thing over the long haul? I've wondered this about the shoes, also. Something new comes out that looks and seems better so we all jump on it, but do we really know if these things are going to perform the necessary long term results? I still have a measure of doubt with the shoes with the way Everett stands up in them and his toes point so far down wards, and the leather being so soft he has quite a bit of mobility inside the shoe no matter how tight I strap it. > s. > > Dobbs Brace > > > > > Just wanted to throw this out there again. I spoke w/ Dr. Dobbs about > getting the brace available to more people -- he said that parents who > are very interested in the articulating bar can contact the orthotics > lab here at Children's Hospital. If anyone is interested you can email > me privately for the contact information, jagrindon@ Since the > brace is not widely available yet I don't know what kind of > supply/demand they can keep up with. And of course it would be up to > you to either pay out > of pocket, or get your Ortho to write a prescription for this brace > specifically and possibly have to explain to your insurance why you > need this brace and not the traditional one. Good news though -- I > just talked to the Orthotics lab and they said that the complete brace > set (bar and afo style shoes) is $2000, BUT the bar by itself (which > can attach to the bottom of Markell shoes with the same screw and bolt > as the gold bar) is only $246! > > > Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04, RCF, Dobb's brace 16-18/7) > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 Well, there is no long term testing because Dr. D is just prototyping the brace. He started kids in it last summer I believe so the longest anyone has been in it has probably been about 10 months. I do know that he has closely consulted w/ Dr. P on this and Ponseti really seems to like it. That's as much as I know. > Just curious here - what kind of long term testing has been done to make sure this Dobbs bar will do the right thing over the long haul? I've wondered this about the shoes, also. Something new comes out that looks and seems better so we all jump on it, but do we really know if these things are going to perform the necessary long term results? I still have a measure of doubt with the shoes with the way Everett stands up in them and his toes point so far down wards, and the leather being so soft he has quite a bit of mobility inside the shoe no matter how tight I strap it. > s. > > Dobbs Brace > > > > > Just wanted to throw this out there again. I spoke w/ Dr. Dobbs about > getting the brace available to more people -- he said that parents who > are very interested in the articulating bar can contact the orthotics > lab here at Children's Hospital. If anyone is interested you can email > me privately for the contact information, jagrindon@ Since the > brace is not widely available yet I don't know what kind of > supply/demand they can keep up with. And of course it would be up to > you to either pay out > of pocket, or get your Ortho to write a prescription for this brace > specifically and possibly have to explain to your insurance why you > need this brace and not the traditional one. Good news though -- I > just talked to the Orthotics lab and they said that the complete brace > set (bar and afo style shoes) is $2000, BUT the bar by itself (which > can attach to the bottom of Markell shoes with the same screw and bolt > as the gold bar) is only $246! > > > Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04, RCF, Dobb's brace 16-18/7) > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Just wanted to add that it would be helpful to Dr. Dobbs if people who are interested in his brace emailed him so he would know how much of a demand there is for it. This will also keep him informed of what is being said about the brace so he can make sure no misinformation is out there. His email is mattdobbs@... > > Just wanted to throw this out there again. I spoke w/ Dr. Dobbs about > getting the brace available to more people -- he said that parents who > are very interested in the articulating bar can contact the orthotics > lab here at Children's Hospital. If anyone is interested you can email > me privately for the contact information, jagrindon@ Since the > brace is not widely available yet I don't know what kind of > supply/demand they can keep up with. And of course it would be up to > you to either pay out > of pocket, or get your Ortho to write a prescription for this brace > specifically and possibly have to explain to your insurance why you > need this brace and not the traditional one. Good news though -- I > just talked to the Orthotics lab and they said that the complete brace > set (bar and afo style shoes) is $2000, BUT the bar by itself (which > can attach to the bottom of Markell shoes with the same screw and bolt > as the gold bar) is only $246! > > > Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04, RCF, Dobb's brace 16-18/7) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 9, 2005 Report Share Posted April 9, 2005 I may be wrong, but I think our children are the test subjects. My daughter has worn the Dobbs brace since September. I remember seeing a picture on the clubfoot pictures message board. I think the little boy's name is Tyler, I don't remember where the family is from. Tyler's mother had sent along pictures of her son in this new brace. After seeing the hinges on this new brace, I was intrigued. I printed out the pictures and brought them with me to our appointment. I asked Dr. Dobbs to tell me more about this brace. He told me then that he had invented the design, and it was still in the testing phase. He had designed it for children with atypical clubfeet. I asked if Gwyneth could be put in this new brace, even though her case was not atypical. He said sure, and it would probably take a few days for the brace shop to fashion a new brace for her. I had a new brace that day. My next appointment with Dr. Dobbs was in December. He asked how she was doing in the brace, and she was doing great. I think she appreciated the movement that this new brace gave her. We still see the doctor every three months, and each time he checks the flexibility in her foot. ( which I am sure he would check if she was in this new brace or not) I would think that if this new brace was not maintaining the correction he would have spotted it by now. Gwyneth's brace is a bit different because we go to Shriner's here in St. Louis. She has the Markel shoes, attached to the bar, not the AFO style shoes. It looked like a great idea to me, so I wanted my daughter to try it. Since we see Dr. Dobbs so often, I figured if this brace didn't work for her we would know before any long term damage would be done from a relapse. So I don't think there has been any long term testing, I think we are in the midst of the testing. And it seems to be sucessful. We are very happy with the brace. Amy & Gwyneth 12/05/03 rt club foot Dobbs brace 16 hrs. Dobbs Brace Just wanted to throw this out there again. I spoke w/ Dr. Dobbs about getting the brace available to more people -- he said that parents who are very interested in the articulating bar can contact the orthotics lab here at Children's Hospital. If anyone is interested you can email me privately for the contact information, jagrindon@... Since the brace is not widely available yet I don't know what kind of supply/demand they can keep up with. And of course it would be up to you to either pay out of pocket, or get your Ortho to write a prescription for this brace specifically and possibly have to explain to your insurance why you need this brace and not the traditional one. Good news though -- I just talked to the Orthotics lab and they said that the complete brace set (bar and afo style shoes) is $2000, BUT the bar by itself (which can attach to the bottom of Markell shoes with the same screw and bolt as the gold bar) is only $246! Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04, RCF, Dobb's brace 16-18/7) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2005 Report Share Posted April 15, 2005 , It is my understanding that the dorsiflexion is maintained by the inner " bootie " of the afo. These are custom molded to the baby's foot - they do a plaster of the foot with the foot dorsiflexed. Then that little bootie is put on the foot prior to slipping into the hard plastic shell of the afo and strapped in place. If you want to know more, I would contact Dr. Dobbs directly @ mattdobbs@... HTH, Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04 RCF Dobbs Brace 16-18/7) > > For those of you in the Dobbs' brace- do you know how the dorsiflexion > (flexing upward of the toe end of the foot to keep the Achilles' > tendon stretched) is obtained? Looking at the pictures that Jen > posted of Addie's brace, I don't see how the dorsiflexion is > maintained, unless it's internal to the AFO. > > Jen, if you're reading this- I don't have any advice for you > concerning the AFO's. My daughter had an AFO prior to us switching > over to Dr. Ponseti and we had nothing but problems with it, but, > then, the foot wasn't corrected at that point either. > I would suggest contacting the orthotists &/or Dr. Dobbs' staff for > help since not too many folks here have that same brace with the AFOs > mounted on it. > Hang in there and keep us posted! > & (3-16-00, left clubfoot) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 15, 2005 Report Share Posted April 15, 2005 Thanks, - That's what I was wondering if the AFO had the foot dorsiflexed internally. > > > > For those of you in the Dobbs' brace- do you know how the dorsiflexion > > (flexing upward of the toe end of the foot to keep the Achilles' > > tendon stretched) is obtained? Looking at the pictures that Jen > > posted of Addie's brace, I don't see how the dorsiflexion is > > maintained, unless it's internal to the AFO. > > > > Jen, if you're reading this- I don't have any advice for you > > concerning the AFO's. My daughter had an AFO prior to us switching > > over to Dr. Ponseti and we had nothing but problems with it, but, > > then, the foot wasn't corrected at that point either. > > I would suggest contacting the orthotists &/or Dr. Dobbs' staff for > > help since not too many folks here have that same brace with the AFOs > > mounted on it. > > Hang in there and keep us posted! > > & (3-16-00, left clubfoot) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 allison.. do you have dave's email address? i am wanting to see if when he changes the positions on grace's straps next month if he can also just put a new set of straps on... thanks.. oh.. did i tell you that she can now take her braces off by herself.. thank goodness we are lower in hours.. if we were still 23/7 we would be in trouble.. she has also learned the sound of her bolt coming loose.. and she can tighten it all by herself.. she can't get it tight but can screw it back on.. she never ceases to amaze me... lol.. mommy to Grace 12-03-03 BCF Dobb's Brace 16/7 jagrindon@...> wrote: Hi all, Just a thought for those of you who are having a hard time with getting 's either because of cost, your orthotics lab, being swamped, etc, or those having a hard time with Markells. What about trying to get a Dobbs Brace? The orthotics lab here at Children's hospital can bill your insurance company and the Dobbs brace with the AFO style boot attached definitely qualifies as an AFO which more of the insurance companies will cover from what I understand. Also, some people who are having trouble with Markells staying on may find they stay on better with the articulating bar. The orthotics lab here can be reached at: Orthotic & Prosthetic Lab, Inc. Dave Osterman Just thought I would throw this out there if it could be of help to anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 , I just have the main address for the lab info@... But if you email that address they should be able to forward it to Dave, I would think. allison Caroland lcaroland@...> wrote: allison.. do you have dave's email address? i am wanting to see if when he changes the positions on grace's straps next month if he can also just put a new set of straps on... thanks.. oh.. did i tell you that she can now take her braces off by herself.. thank goodness we are lower in hours.. if we were still 23/7 we would be in trouble.. she has also learned the sound of her bolt coming loose.. and she can tighten it all by herself.. she can't get it tight but can screw it back on.. she never ceases to amaze me... lol.. mommy to Grace 12-03-03 BCF Dobb's Brace 16/7 jagrindon@...> wrote: Hi all, Just a thought for those of you who are having a hard time with getting 's either because of cost, your orthotics lab, being swamped, etc, or those having a hard time with Markells. What about trying to get a Dobbs Brace? The orthotics lab here at Children's hospital can bill your insurance company and the Dobbs brace with the AFO style boot attached definitely qualifies as an AFO which more of the insurance companies will cover from what I understand. Also, some people who are having trouble with Markells staying on may find they stay on better with the articulating bar. The orthotics lab here can be reached at: Orthotic & Prosthetic Lab, Inc. Dave Osterman Just thought I would throw this out there if it could be of help to anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 , Do you want just the articulating bar to attach to regular markell's? You can contact Dr. Dobbs at mattdobbs@... or his orthotist, Dave Osterman, Jr. at Orthotics & Prosthetics Lab, Inc. . I believe they run about $250 but your insurance might? pay. Let me know if you need anything else. > > How do I go about getting the brace Dr. Dobbs made? > > > > > > Mommy to (12-17-98) and > > Christian (1-30-04) LCF - DBB (nights only) > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 , Do you want just the articulating bar to attach to regular markell's? You can contact Dr. Dobbs at mattdobbs@... or his orthotist, Dave Osterman, Jr. at Orthotics & Prosthetics Lab, Inc. . I believe they run about $250 but your insurance might? pay. Let me know if you need anything else. > > How do I go about getting the brace Dr. Dobbs made? > > > > > > Mommy to (12-17-98) and > > Christian (1-30-04) LCF - DBB (nights only) > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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