Re: Brace at night / turned in feet

[Guest guest]

Hi Welcome,

I know that you are going to get some great advise from a few of the

mommies in the UK on where you need to go to get a second opinion

because it sounds like you really need to do that!!! And sooner is

better, there is a definate window of opportunity for the Ponseti

method to correct the feet perfectly.

There are quite a few red flags that jump out from reading your e-

mail. How many casts has Joe had to bring his feet to the level of

correction he is at now? It took 4 casts without a tenotomy to fully

correct our daughters foot from a certified qualified Ponseti doctor.

It should usually take between 5-7 casts to get to FULL correction.

A lot of docs say they are practicing the Ponseti method, (it has

kind of turned into a buzz word as of late), but they are NOT

properly trained. The manipulations and casting of the feet need to

be done in a VERY specific way to get proper correction. And that

your doctor is " laid back " when your sons feet are obviously not

fully corrected is a major major red flag.

When your babies foot is fully corrected, it sould look just about

perfect, although definately rotated outward- NOT inward at all. The

heel will feel a bit 'mushy' untill baby is walking and the heel bone

drops fully but other than that the feet should look great! If they

do not, the feet are not fully corrected.

There have been lots and lots of people on this site that have

changed doctors with dramatic improvment, I am sure you will get some

great replies.

If your child has had problems staying in the Markell shoes, there is

another type of shoe made by for " difficult to treat

feet " or atypical feet (the feet of course have to be fully corrected

before you will even know if you need the custom made shoes)

.. We just need to get you and your Joe to a true Ponseti doctor who

will hopefully fix up Joe's feet with a couple of casts first. The

brace will never work on feet that haven't been fully corrected, it

is only meant to hold a correction.

Gotta run, my baby calls

& Grace

> Just joined the group and was v. interested to see e-mails on

> wearing bar/boots at night. We're in england and are lucky to have

> a ponseti doctor. Joe had severe talipes in both feet and had all

> the proper treatment including a tendon operation at 2 months old -

> except we found it difficult to keep the bar on 23/7, and the feet

> needed extra day/night correction for a few more months.

>

> Since 5 months old we were told to just have the bar/boots on at

> night - no time limit specified. Joe's 11 months now and I'm

worried

> he's not wearing the bar/boots enough, i.e. the 14 hrs specified by

> Dr Ponsetti. His left foot is definitely still turned in -

although

> not worsening. He doesn't want to push his feet on the floor

hardly

> at all and doesn't crawl. We're not being offered any

physiotherapy

> but maybe he needs it to help him use his feet?

>

> It's also not clear whether once he starts walking this will help

> flatten out his left foot. Our dr is pretty laid back and we only

> see him once every three months now. He always mainpulates the

left

> foot and seems satisfied because it will flex into a flat position

> (although causing Joe some discomfort). Do dr's have to wait until

> babies are walking before they know whether further correction /

> surgery is required?

[Guest guest]

We are also in the UK. Neither feet should be turned in to use the FAB. My

son was treated at Bath RUH. They are supposed to wear the shoes for 3

months full-time, then gradually reduce the hours until they can walk. i.e

16/18 hours then 14/16 and finally 12/14. Connor wears his for 12 hours or

more if I can get him to. He never had an issue crawling or any of these

things and walked at 12 months so it never held him back at all. He has had

a few probs with blisters in the first pair of boots that he had. He is

very happy to take them off as soon as he wakes up so I do struggle to keep

them on more than 12 hours. He is 2.5 years now. It does sound like Joe

could do with a few more casts. Connor's feet do not turn in at all. Where

are you in the UK as there is a very good Ponseti doctor in Manchester -

Naomi Davies and she will ring you back if there is any questions.

Rach Steve & Connor

-- Brace at night / turned in feet

Just joined the group and was v. interested to see e-mails on

wearing bar/boots at night. We're in england and are lucky to have

a ponseti doctor. Joe had severe talipes in both feet and had all

the proper treatment including a tendon operation at 2 months old -

except we found it difficult to keep the bar on 23/7, and the feet

needed extra day/night correction for a few more months.

Since 5 months old we were told to just have the bar/boots on at

night - no time limit specified. Joe's 11 months now and I'm worried

he's not wearing the bar/boots enough, i.e. the 14 hrs specified by

Dr Ponsetti. His left foot is definitely still turned in - although

not worsening. He doesn't want to push his feet on the floor hardly

at all and doesn't crawl. We're not being offered any physiotherapy

but maybe he needs it to help him use his feet?

It's also not clear whether once he starts walking this will help

flatten out his left foot. Our dr is pretty laid back and we only

see him once every three months now. He always mainpulates the left

foot and seems satisfied because it will flex into a flat position

(although causing Joe some discomfort). Do dr's have to wait until

babies are walking before they know whether further correction /

surgery is required?

[Guest guest]

We are also in the UK. Neither feet should be turned in to use the FAB. My

son was treated at Bath RUH. They are supposed to wear the shoes for 3

months full-time, then gradually reduce the hours until they can walk. i.e

16/18 hours then 14/16 and finally 12/14. Connor wears his for 12 hours or

more if I can get him to. He never had an issue crawling or any of these

things and walked at 12 months so it never held him back at all. He has had

a few probs with blisters in the first pair of boots that he had. He is

very happy to take them off as soon as he wakes up so I do struggle to keep

them on more than 12 hours. He is 2.5 years now. It does sound like Joe

could do with a few more casts. Connor's feet do not turn in at all. Where

are you in the UK as there is a very good Ponseti doctor in Manchester -

Naomi Davies and she will ring you back if there is any questions.

Rach Steve & Connor

-- Brace at night / turned in feet

Just joined the group and was v. interested to see e-mails on

wearing bar/boots at night. We're in england and are lucky to have

a ponseti doctor. Joe had severe talipes in both feet and had all

the proper treatment including a tendon operation at 2 months old -

except we found it difficult to keep the bar on 23/7, and the feet

needed extra day/night correction for a few more months.

Since 5 months old we were told to just have the bar/boots on at

night - no time limit specified. Joe's 11 months now and I'm worried

he's not wearing the bar/boots enough, i.e. the 14 hrs specified by

Dr Ponsetti. His left foot is definitely still turned in - although

not worsening. He doesn't want to push his feet on the floor hardly

at all and doesn't crawl. We're not being offered any physiotherapy

but maybe he needs it to help him use his feet?

It's also not clear whether once he starts walking this will help

flatten out his left foot. Our dr is pretty laid back and we only

see him once every three months now. He always mainpulates the left

foot and seems satisfied because it will flex into a flat position

(although causing Joe some discomfort). Do dr's have to wait until

babies are walking before they know whether further correction /

surgery is required?

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your comments everyone. It's difficult to explain, but

Joe's left sole is slightly turned in, not his toes. So it looks

like he's standing on the outer side of his sole when you dangle him

with his feet hanging down. Anyway, the right foot looks OK and the

left looks a bit different.

Our Dr, Mr , has been practicing the Ponsetti method for a

while, though only just moved to New Cross Hospital in

Wolverhampton. The casting technicians and physio have been on a

Ponsetti course / conference and they certainly gave the impression

that they knew what they were doing. We also had 7-8 casts, right

from birth and then a tenotomy - which seems to be the maximum

treatment you can get. We're seeing him next week so I'll press him

on this.

We can increase the amount of time Joe wears the brace ourselves -

although it's difficult now we've cut back, and I must admit I wait

til he's asleep before putting the brace on. My husband will also

require some pretty strong instructions to do this cos he thinks the

brace is " evil " ! But if the feet need correcting further we need

some help. Have you got the phone no. for Naomi Davies? It's

difficult to question your consultant without some backup advice.

> We are also in the UK. Neither feet should be turned in to use the

FAB. My

> son was treated at Bath RUH. They are supposed to wear the shoes

for 3

> months full-time, then gradually reduce the hours until they can

walk. i.e

> 16/18 hours then 14/16 and finally 12/14. Connor wears his for 12

hours or

> more if I can get him to. He never had an issue crawling or any of

these

> things and walked at 12 months so it never held him back at all.

He has had

> a few probs with blisters in the first pair of boots that he had.

He is

> very happy to take them off as soon as he wakes up so I do

struggle to keep

> them on more than 12 hours. He is 2.5 years now. It does sound

like Joe

> could do with a few more casts. Connor's feet do not turn in at

all. Where

> are you in the UK as there is a very good Ponseti doctor in

Manchester -

> Naomi Davies and she will ring you back if there is any questions.

>

> Rach Steve & Connor

>

> -- Brace at night / turned in feet

>

> Just joined the group and was v. interested to see e-mails on

> wearing bar/boots at night. We're in england and are lucky to have

> a ponseti doctor. Joe had severe talipes in both feet and had all

> the proper treatment including a tendon operation at 2 months old -

> except we found it difficult to keep the bar on 23/7, and the feet

> needed extra day/night correction for a few more months.

>

> Since 5 months old we were told to just have the bar/boots on at

> night - no time limit specified. Joe's 11 months now and I'm

worried

> he's not wearing the bar/boots enough, i.e. the 14 hrs specified by

> Dr Ponsetti. His left foot is definitely still turned in -

although

> not worsening. He doesn't want to push his feet on the floor

hardly

> at all and doesn't crawl. We're not being offered any

physiotherapy

> but maybe he needs it to help him use his feet?

>

> It's also not clear whether once he starts walking this will help

> flatten out his left foot. Our dr is pretty laid back and we only

> see him once every three months now. He always mainpulates the

left

> foot and seems satisfied because it will flex into a flat position

> (although causing Joe some discomfort). Do dr's have to wait until

> babies are walking before they know whether further correction /

> surgery is required?

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, there! It sounds to me like Joe's foot (at least the one) is

not completely corrected and may never have been.

Here is the link to Dr. Ponseti's website with listings of all the

contact info for doctors who have taken the time to submit the

necessary paperwork to him in order to become listed as a qualified

physician (including Naomi):

http://www.vh.org/pediatric/patient/orthopaedics/clubfeet/physiciansa

broad.html

There is one doctor under England, a number under " UK " , and a few

under " Scotland " ...I emailed Dr. P's secretary about this and

they're going to rectify it, but please just note that there are a

number of doctors under different regional headings that

intertwine!

Also, here is another site that might help you out with your

research: http://members.tripod.com/ponseti_links-ivil

There's a good parents' checklist there and lots of links.

Unfortunately, many doctors claim to be using the Ponseti method-

and many truly think that they are- but too often, they're modifying

the method, or doing things a little bit wrong which ends up causing

them to have less than perfect results. It's hard for a parent to

know exactly what is and what is not the Ponseti method- and we're

here to help you get the best for your son.

Please keep us posted!

& (3-16-00, left clubfoot)

http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/

> > We are also in the UK. Neither feet should be turned in to use

the

> FAB. My

> > son was treated at Bath RUH. They are supposed to wear the shoes

> for 3

> > months full-time, then gradually reduce the hours until they can

> walk. i.e

> > 16/18 hours then 14/16 and finally 12/14. Connor wears his for

12

> hours or

> > more if I can get him to. He never had an issue crawling or any

of

> these

> > things and walked at 12 months so it never held him back at all.

> He has had

> > a few probs with blisters in the first pair of boots that he

had.

> He is

> > very happy to take them off as soon as he wakes up so I do

> struggle to keep

> > them on more than 12 hours. He is 2.5 years now. It does sound

> like Joe

> > could do with a few more casts. Connor's feet do not turn in at

> all. Where

> > are you in the UK as there is a very good Ponseti doctor in

> Manchester -

> > Naomi Davies and she will ring you back if there is any

questions.

> >

> > Rach Steve & Connor

> >

> > -- Brace at night / turned in feet

> >

> > Just joined the group and was v. interested to see e-mails on

> > wearing bar/boots at night. We're in england and are lucky to

have

> > a ponseti doctor. Joe had severe talipes in both feet and had

all

> > the proper treatment including a tendon operation at 2 months

old -

> > except we found it difficult to keep the bar on 23/7, and the

feet

> > needed extra day/night correction for a few more months.

> >

> > Since 5 months old we were told to just have the bar/boots on at

> > night - no time limit specified. Joe's 11 months now and I'm

> worried

> > he's not wearing the bar/boots enough, i.e. the 14 hrs specified

by

> > Dr Ponsetti. His left foot is definitely still turned in -

> although

> > not worsening. He doesn't want to push his feet on the floor

> hardly

> > at all and doesn't crawl. We're not being offered any

> physiotherapy

> > but maybe he needs it to help him use his feet?

> >

> > It's also not clear whether once he starts walking this will help

> > flatten out his left foot. Our dr is pretty laid back and we

only

> > see him once every three months now. He always mainpulates the

> left

> > foot and seems satisfied because it will flex into a flat

position

> > (although causing Joe some discomfort). Do dr's have to wait

until

> > babies are walking before they know whether further correction /

> > surgery is required?

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

p.s. putting the brace on him with his foot turning in will probably

only cause him pain and will really be a " torture device " . When the

foot is properly corrected, the brace won't be uncomfortable for him.

He'll need to be re-casted to get his foot perfect- then go back

into the brace.

HUGS To you!!!!

> > We are also in the UK. Neither feet should be turned in to use

the

> FAB. My

> > son was treated at Bath RUH. They are supposed to wear the shoes

> for 3

> > months full-time, then gradually reduce the hours until they can

> walk. i.e

> > 16/18 hours then 14/16 and finally 12/14. Connor wears his for

12

> hours or

> > more if I can get him to. He never had an issue crawling or any

of

> these

> > things and walked at 12 months so it never held him back at all.

> He has had

> > a few probs with blisters in the first pair of boots that he

had.

> He is

> > very happy to take them off as soon as he wakes up so I do

> struggle to keep

> > them on more than 12 hours. He is 2.5 years now. It does sound

> like Joe

> > could do with a few more casts. Connor's feet do not turn in at

> all. Where

> > are you in the UK as there is a very good Ponseti doctor in

> Manchester -

> > Naomi Davies and she will ring you back if there is any

questions.

> >

> > Rach Steve & Connor

> >

> > -- Brace at night / turned in feet

> >

> > Just joined the group and was v. interested to see e-mails on

> > wearing bar/boots at night. We're in england and are lucky to

have

> > a ponseti doctor. Joe had severe talipes in both feet and had

all

> > the proper treatment including a tendon operation at 2 months

old -

> > except we found it difficult to keep the bar on 23/7, and the

feet

> > needed extra day/night correction for a few more months.

> >

> > Since 5 months old we were told to just have the bar/boots on at

> > night - no time limit specified. Joe's 11 months now and I'm

> worried

> > he's not wearing the bar/boots enough, i.e. the 14 hrs specified

by

> > Dr Ponsetti. His left foot is definitely still turned in -

> although

> > not worsening. He doesn't want to push his feet on the floor

> hardly

> > at all and doesn't crawl. We're not being offered any

> physiotherapy

> > but maybe he needs it to help him use his feet?

> >

> > It's also not clear whether once he starts walking this will help

> > flatten out his left foot. Our dr is pretty laid back and we

only

> > see him once every three months now. He always mainpulates the

> left

> > foot and seems satisfied because it will flex into a flat

position

> > (although causing Joe some discomfort). Do dr's have to wait

until

> > babies are walking before they know whether further correction /

> > surgery is required?

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >