Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 My son Max has been through 7 castings using the Ponseti technique, and I am very happy with the progress made. So much so that my wife and I are hesitant to go ahead with the tenotomy reccomended by the doctor. Currently my son is wearing the Denis-Brown shoes. I had clubbed feet as a child, and like my son wore a series of casts as well as the Denis-Brown shoes. I did not get a tenotomy, and never had any problems with my feet throughout my life. I would very much appreciate any feedback regarding the tenotomy, as we are having a very difficult time making our final decision. I especially would like to hear from someone who, having had the tenotomy reccomended, opted against it. I am interested to find out what result that had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 My son Max has been through 7 castings using the Ponseti technique, and I am very happy with the progress made. So much so that my wife and I are hesitant to go ahead with the tenotomy reccomended by the doctor. Currently my son is wearing the Denis-Brown shoes. I had clubbed feet as a child, and like my son wore a series of casts as well as the Denis-Brown shoes. I did not get a tenotomy, and never had any problems with my feet throughout my life. I would very much appreciate any feedback regarding the tenotomy, as we are having a very difficult time making our final decision. I especially would like to hear from someone who, having had the tenotomy reccomended, opted against it. I am interested to find out what result that had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 I'd recommend going through with the tenotomy if the doctor recommends it. My daughter Lily had it done when she was 5 weeks old (under local anesthesia). I know it was momentarily very painful for her (she let out a horrible scream and her face was quite purple for a very short time - seemed like an eternity to Mom & Dad though). But within a few minutes she was resting comfortably & didn't even have any blood soak through her cast. And it really improved the degree of correction in her foot. All the best as you make your decision, Kim Lily, 3/28/05, lcf, P/M FAB 23/7 Tessa, 7/17/02 > My son Max has been through 7 castings using the Ponseti technique, and > I am very happy with the progress made. So much so that my wife and I > are hesitant to go ahead with the tenotomy reccomended by the doctor. > Currently my son is wearing the Denis-Brown shoes. > > I had clubbed feet as a child, and like my son wore a series of casts > as well as the Denis-Brown shoes. I did not get a tenotomy, and never > had any problems with my feet throughout my life. > > I would very much appreciate any feedback regarding the tenotomy, as we > are having a very difficult time making our final decision. I > especially would like to hear from someone who, having had the tenotomy > reccomended, opted against it. I am interested to find out what result > that had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 I'd recommend going through with the tenotomy if the doctor recommends it. My daughter Lily had it done when she was 5 weeks old (under local anesthesia). I know it was momentarily very painful for her (she let out a horrible scream and her face was quite purple for a very short time - seemed like an eternity to Mom & Dad though). But within a few minutes she was resting comfortably & didn't even have any blood soak through her cast. And it really improved the degree of correction in her foot. All the best as you make your decision, Kim Lily, 3/28/05, lcf, P/M FAB 23/7 Tessa, 7/17/02 > My son Max has been through 7 castings using the Ponseti technique, and > I am very happy with the progress made. So much so that my wife and I > are hesitant to go ahead with the tenotomy reccomended by the doctor. > Currently my son is wearing the Denis-Brown shoes. > > I had clubbed feet as a child, and like my son wore a series of casts > as well as the Denis-Brown shoes. I did not get a tenotomy, and never > had any problems with my feet throughout my life. > > I would very much appreciate any feedback regarding the tenotomy, as we > are having a very difficult time making our final decision. I > especially would like to hear from someone who, having had the tenotomy > reccomended, opted against it. I am interested to find out what result > that had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Typically, the tenotomy is performed *before* the child is put into the Denis Browne bar (you'll find that most of us here refer to it as the Foot Abduction Brace, FAB). The tenotomy and its 3 week cast being the last step in the correction process. How long has Max been wearing the FAB? Did the doctor think at first that he would not need the tenotomy and has now changed her/his mind? This was the case with my son's feet. Following the casting period, he had very good dorsiflexion on one foot, borderline on the other. The doctor decided not to do the tenotomies. However, after 2 months of 23/7 FAB wear, it was clear that both feet were still in slight equinus and we did the procedure at that time. Most feet (over 80%) corrected following the Ponseti method do need the tenotomy performed. Usually, this is an in-office procedure, using a local anesthetic, no stitches required. It was all over very quickly and Jonah was up and crawling in the casts before they were even dry. He now (some 14 months later) has two very small, barely visible scars, one above each heel. People are appalled, I've noticed, when we tell them that Jonah had his Achilles tendons cut through as part of the clubfoot correction. In fact, I get the impression that they are more appalled by this idea than the idea of the more " traditional " clubfoot surgeries that involve releasing all sorts of tendons, reconstructing this and that, cutting out wedges of bones. I think it has to do with hearing about this or that athlete whose career is wrecked by rupturing their Achilles, or remembering that the Nazis used to cut prisoner's Achilles to keep them from escaping. This tendon actually regenerates very quickly in the infant and its integrity does not seem to be compromised following the procedure. Here is a terrific document (32 page pdf file) that has detailed information about the correction process and what it is the tenotomy accomplishes: http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-english.pdf Where are you located and who is treating your son? I do hope we can be of some help as you process this decision, please let us know if there are any other questions we can answer. Naomi The Family Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, corrected bilateral clubfoot, FAB 14/7) ahoo.com> wrote: My son Max has been through 7 castings using the Ponseti technique, and I am very happy with the progress made. So much so that my wife and I are hesitant to go ahead with the tenotomy reccomended by the doctor. Currently my son is wearing the Denis-Brown shoes. I had clubbed feet as a child, and like my son wore a series of casts as well as the Denis-Brown shoes. I did not get a tenotomy, and never had any problems with my feet throughout my life. I would very much appreciate any feedback regarding the tenotomy, as we are having a very difficult time making our final decision. I especially would like to hear from someone who, having had the tenotomy reccomended, opted against it. I am interested to find out what result that had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Typically, the tenotomy is performed *before* the child is put into the Denis Browne bar (you'll find that most of us here refer to it as the Foot Abduction Brace, FAB). The tenotomy and its 3 week cast being the last step in the correction process. How long has Max been wearing the FAB? Did the doctor think at first that he would not need the tenotomy and has now changed her/his mind? This was the case with my son's feet. Following the casting period, he had very good dorsiflexion on one foot, borderline on the other. The doctor decided not to do the tenotomies. However, after 2 months of 23/7 FAB wear, it was clear that both feet were still in slight equinus and we did the procedure at that time. Most feet (over 80%) corrected following the Ponseti method do need the tenotomy performed. Usually, this is an in-office procedure, using a local anesthetic, no stitches required. It was all over very quickly and Jonah was up and crawling in the casts before they were even dry. He now (some 14 months later) has two very small, barely visible scars, one above each heel. People are appalled, I've noticed, when we tell them that Jonah had his Achilles tendons cut through as part of the clubfoot correction. In fact, I get the impression that they are more appalled by this idea than the idea of the more " traditional " clubfoot surgeries that involve releasing all sorts of tendons, reconstructing this and that, cutting out wedges of bones. I think it has to do with hearing about this or that athlete whose career is wrecked by rupturing their Achilles, or remembering that the Nazis used to cut prisoner's Achilles to keep them from escaping. This tendon actually regenerates very quickly in the infant and its integrity does not seem to be compromised following the procedure. Here is a terrific document (32 page pdf file) that has detailed information about the correction process and what it is the tenotomy accomplishes: http://www.global-help.org/publications/cf-english.pdf Where are you located and who is treating your son? I do hope we can be of some help as you process this decision, please let us know if there are any other questions we can answer. Naomi The Family Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, corrected bilateral clubfoot, FAB 14/7) ahoo.com> wrote: My son Max has been through 7 castings using the Ponseti technique, and I am very happy with the progress made. So much so that my wife and I are hesitant to go ahead with the tenotomy reccomended by the doctor. Currently my son is wearing the Denis-Brown shoes. I had clubbed feet as a child, and like my son wore a series of casts as well as the Denis-Brown shoes. I did not get a tenotomy, and never had any problems with my feet throughout my life. I would very much appreciate any feedback regarding the tenotomy, as we are having a very difficult time making our final decision. I especially would like to hear from someone who, having had the tenotomy reccomended, opted against it. I am interested to find out what result that had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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