Re: Re: Wiggling out of Dobbs brace at 13 months

April 21, 2006

did they happen to give you a copy of the FAB (DBB) tips .pdf? It is

well known that in most cases, parents are sent off without the

proper tools to use these shoes correctly, I just wonder if perhaps

there wasn't something we could have helped you with to make them

work as most feet stay in them just fine. I will send you a copy of

this file and maybe there is something in there that will help you

understand why they weren't working for you.

Can you tell us what happened when he wore the Markells? Specifically?

Now, with that said... the Ponseti FAB is uniquely not the

same as either the Markell shoes NOR the AFO's. It is hard to

imagine a foot slipping out of them as they were designed by Dr.

Ponseti and to handle this very issue. They are very

nice and work really well. The bar does not articulate like Dobb's

bar but in all honesty... articulation is a convenience factor and

children are perfectly fine with a fixed bar. That would not be

something to worry about as you consider this. My daughter is 3yo and

walks around unaided in her PM's constantly, we love them. They are

nice and FLAT on the floor which is a big bonus as compared to the

standard Markell FAB with the bolts under the shoes as well as Dobb's

bar which is very much *not* flat lol.

Hey, congrats on a good night with Connor! Must be refreshing after

so long... I know I'd be at my wits end! Kudos to you for hangin in

there with all this.

Kori

At 06:43 AM 4/21/2006, you wrote:

>Yes, we have tried the markells on the dobbs bar, for a month.

>That's what we had prior to our last Dobbs visit. It was probably

>the worst month of the whole lot with hysterical nights.

>

>Last night with half sock Connor slept through the night AND kept

>his boots on! Horray!

>

> > > >I really need help, and this seems to be the place.

> > > >

> > > >My son Connor is 13 months old, unilateral RCF. We live in St.

> > > >Louis and see Dr. Dobbs. For the most part, the casting went

> > > >smoothly. Stupidly, I had a " cast off " party after the final

>cast

> > > >thinking that we were entering an easier phase. It has only

>gotten

> > > >progressively worse.

> > > >

> > > >Ever since Connor got the Dobbs brace at about 4 months, he has

> > > >managed to wiggle his non-club foot out of the brace, almost

>every

> > > >night. I spent practically my entire 4 month maternity leave

>at the

> > > >O & P. They would tell me it wasn't tight enough - - believe me,

>it

> > > >was tight enough. They would tell me Connor was one of the

>very few

> > > >babies who had trouble keeping the Dobbs brace on (some good

>news,

> > > >we haven't had any blister problems). If he doesn't wiggle out,

>he

> > > >screams and cries all through the night, sometimes every 30

>minutes,

> > > >sometimes every 2 hours, causing my husband and me to be truly

>at

> > > >our whits end, exhausted, upset, hoping our 2 1/2 year old

>doesn't

> > > >wake up....you know the drill.

> > > >

> > > >We have tried everything. Higher boots, 4 straps per boot

>instead

> > > >of 3, straps going different directions (2 to the left, 2 to the

> > > >right), taping the insert around his foot, velcro across the

>insert

> > > >to hold it in place, changing the straps a hundred way, the

>lace-up

> > > >shoes (an equal disaster), a complete " do over " of the boots,

>thick

> > > >socks-thin socks-double socks-sock over the insert... and now my

> > > >latest trial and error being the cut around ankle sock so the

>front

> > > >half of his foot is barefoot (with less than a week of this cut

>sock

> > > >routine, we are at 50/50 success). I also started keeping his

> > > >regular shoes on him all day about a month ago so he gets used

>to

> > > >shoes on his feet all the time.

> > > >

> > > >It is a miracle to us the unpredictable times Connor sleeps

>through

> > > >the night. (we still wake up, waiting!) When he does sleep

>through

> > > >the night, more than 70% of the time it is because he has

>kicked off

> > > >his boot and we have no idea what time this took place - we

>hope in

> > > >the early morning hours. For awhile, he sounded like a whale:

>thump

> > > >thump thump against his bed. Now he can do it silently. This

>just

> > > >doesn't seem right to me. It shouldn't be this " difficult " -

>should

> > > >it??

> > > >

> > > >The width of his brace seems appropriate (have had that problem

> > > >before). His angles are correct at 70 degrees for the

>nonclubfoot

> > > >and 45 for the clubfoot (We have had that problem before,

>too). His

> > > >heel is down. I pull up his toes to make sure. Then flatten his

> > > >toes so they aren't scrunched. His insert has a ramp on the

>toes and

> > > >a cushion for his heel to hold it snug and a hole punched out

>of the

> > > >heel so that his heel bone doesn't rub (Connor's heel bone

>protrudes

> > > >on his non-club foot). Ha! I just can't imagine what else to

>do,

> > > >nor can anyone at O & P or Dobbs office.

> > > >

> > > >Last time I went to see Dr. Dobbs for his one year check-up a

>few

> > > >weeks ago, suggested keeping the brace on him for 24

>hours

> > > >a day so he gets used to it. I sobbed. Get used to it? They

>have

> > > >got to be kidding me. All I want to say is " you come spend the

> > > >night at my house. " For 9 months we have been trying to " get

>used

> > > >to it " with many, many, many hysterical nights or the the other

> > > >dreaded [but welcome] silence: Connor is sleeping, but sleeping

> > > >without both feet in the brace.

> > > >

> > > >Has anyone else had problems like this in the Dobbs brace? Has

> > > >anyone else put their 1+ year old back in the brace 24/7 and had

> > > >better luck? The idea is terrifying to me.

> > > >

> > > >Any other suggestions for me? I talked to someone recently

>about

> > > >the 's. Anyone else out there switch from the Dobbs

>brace

> > > >to the 's with success??

> > > >

> > > >Thanks for your help.

> > > >

> > > >Kerrigan Kaplan

> > > >

April 26, 2006

Today I talked to " Big Dave " about the 's...he thought that it might be

the same problem of Connor getting out of those, too, and that the Dobbs brace

was designed because of problems with the 's.

Has anyone had problems with their child getting out of the 's?

Connor is still kicking out of his brace with the half-sock contraption, or

waking up multiple times during the night really unhappy/uncomfortable....

wrote:

Hello and welcome to the group!

I am so sorry to hear of your issues with Connor slipping our of the

Dobbs brace! You are right, this should NOT be happening and no it

shouldn't be this hard.

Glad you are here, we are here to help and support you while we get

this figured out ! First off, pat yourself and your dh on the back

for sticking with it, the Ponseti method really is the best treatment

choice (which I KNOW you know as you've stuck with it even through

all these challenges). Once we help you to figure out how to keep

your little Houdini in his brace, the rest of his treatment/brace

wear will be a non-issue.

So from what you have said, it sounds like you really have tried

everything to keep Connor in this brace. If it were his club foot

coming out, I would be more worried. But since it's his non cf it

sounds to me like it is because his non cf is smaller and thinner

than his cf. Our daughter is also unilateral right and her left foot

(noncf) is much thinner and a bit longer than her cf. I know that

Dobbs is currently using an AFO type boot with his articulating bar -

it really sounds to me like it's time to try a different shoe!

I would highly recommend the Ponseti/ shoes/brace for Connor.

We personally didn't have problems in the Markell shoes so Grace is

in those but I have heard that the 's are amazing. I have

seen them and they look so comfy and as Kori said, it would be almost

impossible for a child to get their foot out of these shoes because

of how they are designed.

The Markell shoes are cheaper but I wonder if you wouldn't just have

the same issues with them too and with all you have been through,

well, you deserve a break!! Also, I know that it was probably just a

typo but his non cf is at 45 and his cf is at 70 right?

So, I would tell Dr. Dobbs that you want the Ponseti shoes.

An impression of Connor's feet will need to be done for the shoes

(which is another great thing about these shoes! They have been a

life saver for tons of kids having problems with either staying in

other shoes or sores/blisters. Since they are somewhat custom made,

they will fit him so much better) so the sooner the better as it does

take some time for them to be shipped. Also, has Dr. Dobbs seen any

loss of correction due to Connor slipping out of his brace?

Big hugs to you and hope we can help you get this figured out!

& Grace 21mos

urcf FAB 13hrs

>

> I really need help, and this seems to be the place.

>

> My son Connor is 13 months old, unilateral RCF. We live in St.

> Louis and see Dr. Dobbs. For the most part, the casting went

> smoothly. Stupidly, I had a " cast off " party after the final cast

> thinking that we were entering an easier phase. It has only gotten

> progressively worse.

>

> Ever since Connor got the Dobbs brace at about 4 months, he has

> managed to wiggle his non-club foot out of the brace, almost every

> night. I spent practically my entire 4 month maternity leave at

the

> O & P. They would tell me it wasn't tight enough - - believe me, it

> was tight enough. They would tell me Connor was one of the very

few

> babies who had trouble keeping the Dobbs brace on (some good news,

> we haven't had any blister problems). If he doesn't wiggle out, he

> screams and cries all through the night, sometimes every 30

minutes,

> sometimes every 2 hours, causing my husband and me to be truly at

> our whits end, exhausted, upset, hoping our 2 1/2 year old doesn't

> wake up....you know the drill.

>

> We have tried everything. Higher boots, 4 straps per boot instead

> of 3, straps going different directions (2 to the left, 2 to the

> right), taping the insert around his foot, velcro across the insert

> to hold it in place, changing the straps a hundred way, the lace-up

> shoes (an equal disaster), a complete " do over " of the boots, thick

> socks-thin socks-double socks-sock over the insert... and now my

> latest trial and error being the cut around ankle sock so the front

> half of his foot is barefoot (with less than a week of this cut

sock

> routine, we are at 50/50 success). I also started keeping his

> regular shoes on him all day about a month ago so he gets used to

> shoes on his feet all the time.

>

> It is a miracle to us the unpredictable times Connor sleeps through

> the night. (we still wake up, waiting!) When he does sleep through

> the night, more than 70% of the time it is because he has kicked

off

> his boot and we have no idea what time this took place - we hope in

> the early morning hours. For awhile, he sounded like a whale:

thump

> thump thump against his bed. Now he can do it silently. This just

> doesn't seem right to me. It shouldn't be this " difficult " -

should

> it??

>

> The width of his brace seems appropriate (have had that problem

> before). His angles are correct at 70 degrees for the nonclubfoot

> and 45 for the clubfoot (We have had that problem before, too).

His

> heel is down. I pull up his toes to make sure. Then flatten his

> toes so they aren't scrunched. His insert has a ramp on the toes

and

> a cushion for his heel to hold it snug and a hole punched out of

the

> heel so that his heel bone doesn't rub (Connor's heel bone

protrudes

> on his non-club foot). Ha! I just can't imagine what else to do,

> nor can anyone at O & P or Dobbs office.

>

> Last time I went to see Dr. Dobbs for his one year check-up a few

> weeks ago, suggested keeping the brace on him for 24

hours

> a day so he gets used to it. I sobbed. Get used to it? They have

> got to be kidding me. All I want to say is " you come spend the

> night at my house. " For 9 months we have been trying to " get used

> to it " with many, many, many hysterical nights or the the other

> dreaded [but welcome] silence: Connor is sleeping, but sleeping

> without both feet in the brace.

>

> Has anyone else had problems like this in the Dobbs brace? Has

> anyone else put their 1+ year old back in the brace 24/7 and had

> better luck? The idea is terrifying to me.

>

> Any other suggestions for me? I talked to someone recently about

> the 's. Anyone else out there switch from the Dobbs brace

> to the 's with success??

>

> Thanks for your help.

>

> Kerrigan Kaplan

>

April 26, 2006

is in the s and has never gotten out of them, although she is

only six months old now.

Carol

Re: Re: Wiggling out of Dobbs brace at 13 months

Today I talked to " Big Dave " about the 's...he thought that it might

be the same problem of Connor getting out of those, too, and that the Dobbs

brace was designed because of problems with the 's.