DBB Take Two

[Guest guest]

After being treated incorrectly and having the DBB used before

Maddie's feet were fully corrected, Maddie, who is now being treated

by a Ponsetti Certified doctor, will be getting out of her post

tenotomy cast tomorrow and be moving into the DBB. I have a few

questions, and if anyone can answer them, that would be great.

When Maddie was first put into the DBB, the orthotist gave us a

straight bar with the shoes out at 40 degrees. I'm pretty sure that's

not right from what I've read here. What should I look for when she

is being fitted tomorrow? How long should the fitting take. When she

went last time, it took no time at all. He just laced her up with the

shoes on the bar, and sent us on our way. Her feet were pretty

swollen from the casts when she was fitted, and by the time we got

home, about 40 minutes, she had already removed them. I just want to

make sure that she is fitted correctly this time, so she's not in so

much pain again. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Michele

5/18/02 and Maddie 9/6/05 bcf

[Guest guest]

Michele,

The clubfoot should be at 70° outward rotation (abduction). There

should be a bend in the bar (either in the middle or at either end

under the feet) to facilitate the upward dorsiflexion of the toes

(stretching the Achilles). The distance between the shoes are

measured either as: center bolt-to-center bolt or from the inside

edges of the heels of the shoes and this distance should be equal to

her shoulder width.

You can print out the orthotists' instructions for brace set-up off of

the files section (bracing folder) or

http://members.tripod.com/ponseti_links-ivil bracing section and bring

it with you for reference.

It probably will take some time for the swelling to go down...just

keep checking her feet, especially in the first few days.

Hope this helps! I hope you're reporting success here soon!