Re: Dobbs Brace

[Guest guest]

Christee,

I have no info on the Dobbs brace, but wanted to say, as I'm sure you

might've heard before, that the FAB doesn't hinder crawling. My

daughter wore her brace 23 hours a day from about 5 months through 9

months old. She started crawling while wearing it, at 6 or 7 months

old.

When it was off for baths, etc., and I'd let her try to crawl without

it, she would tip over, unsteadily. Then, when the brace was back on,

she'd take off crawling, fast. I can still see her, speeding down the

hallway, with that FAB swinging behind her. She has a non-clubfoot

cousin the same age who didn't crawl till several months later. There's

a lot of natural variation.. not necessarily attributable to brace

wear.

I know you might have other reasons for being interested .. but just

thought I'd mention that.

>

> I am just wondering if there in anyone in this group that has/is

using

> the Dobbs brace. I called and spoke with someone at the St. louis

> Orthotics dept. about them. They are apparently working on getting

> a 'plate' designed to be able to use the sandals with the

> Dobbs bar. Lilee has A-Typical CF. Because these are AFO's, will they

> work for her? Should I get the 3 or 4 strap ones? I really do want to

> try these (if my insurance will pay!) because of the sores she has

> gotten. Also, she still doesnt crawl, and I want her to learn, and

the

> Dobbs bar seems to have that advantage and comfort to them. Can

anyone

> give me any feedback on these?

>

[Guest guest]

Christee, Gabe's legs, ankles , and feet were very much like

Lilee's. In fact, Ponseti said he had the chubbiest legs/ankles,

feet he had seen in all his years of praticing. Gabe was a

few " firsts " for him, in fact. (also the first baby he had to

sedate) Anyway, Lilee is how old now? Believe it or not, all that

fat will start to go away. Gabe started to slim down a bit by 12

months. Now, his feet, while still fatter than non-clubfeet, look

like any other typical, corrected clubfoot at 22 months. If you look

in the photo section of the clubfoot site, you can see just how

fatty Gabe's legs/ankles and feet were. I'll send you a couple of

photos that I haven't included there too. I know that the sores are

an awful thing to have to deal with... for both of you. It's awful

when your child is in pain. But, as I understood from one of your

previous posts, is working on modifying the shoes for Lilee. We

just pressed through the sores, dealing with them as they came, but

if is willing to work on shoes that would both help lilee and

future fat-foots:), if it were me, I'd give him the

opportunity...especially due to the fact that Lilee can't wear

Markell's and the Dobb's AFOs aren't likely to work with atypical

feet --particularly since you need the middle strap of the

's to maintain correction of the cavus. It would be great to

have the articulating bar, but that alone may not help Lilee crawl.

They crawl on their time. Gabe didn't attampt to crawl till he was

10+ months, but I do remember he was standing less than two weeks

after starting to crawl. He was trying to walk by 12 months. By 16

months he was running around like a little indian ...albiet a clumsy

indian. Anyway, like I said, I know it's hard to deal with the

sores. Gabe had several, but she will get thinner. They'll start

occuring less often then stop all together. While GAbe had the

sores, he slept terribly, didn't want to move around much...WE put

him in thick socks, used mole foam, put huge wads of lambs wool onto

the sores inside the socks...It was really awful, but we got through

it and you will too... especially with working on the problem

with you. Hope this helps some..

Faith

>

> I am just wondering if there in anyone in this group that has/is

using

> the Dobbs brace. I called and spoke with someone at the St. louis

> Orthotics dept. about them. They are apparently working on getting

> a 'plate' designed to be able to use the sandals with the

> Dobbs bar. Lilee has A-Typical CF. Because these are AFO's, will

they

> work for her? Should I get the 3 or 4 strap ones? I really do want

to

> try these (if my insurance will pay!) because of the sores she has

> gotten. Also, she still doesnt crawl, and I want her to learn, and

the

> Dobbs bar seems to have that advantage and comfort to them. Can

anyone

> give me any feedback on these?

>

[Guest guest]

Christee,

Here are my thoughts about you using the Dobbs brace for Lilee. The

issues that she is having with the straps of the s *might* be

able to be aleiviated by the Dobbs brace because the strap - while

tight over the instep to hold the foot in place, does not actually

touch the foot (I do think the 4 strap version seems to hold the feet

in better). They *might* be okay for her to wear for a while til her

feet and ankles slim down a bit but I think in the long run because of

her plantaris the s are what she needs. I can ask Dr. Dobbs

how they are working for kids with feet like Lilee's if that would

help you, but ultimately I think Dr. P would be the one to tell you if

this is even an option to consider.

While everyone likes the idea of the pivoting bar that part should

definitely not be a deciding factor. You need a shoe that is going to

hold her foot properly. Since is working on modifications

specifically for Lilee and they are working towards being able to put

the Dobbs bar on the PM's you may be better off sticking with them.

Bottom line, if you are really considering this - ask Dr. P if he

thinks they would be appropriate for her.

Hope this helps,

allison

> >

> > I am just wondering if there in anyone in this group that has/is

> using

> > the Dobbs brace. I called and spoke with someone at the St. louis

> > Orthotics dept. about them. They are apparently working on getting

> > a 'plate' designed to be able to use the sandals with the

> > Dobbs bar. Lilee has A-Typical CF. Because these are AFO's, will

> they

> > work for her? Should I get the 3 or 4 strap ones? I really do want

> to

> > try these (if my insurance will pay!) because of the sores she has

> > gotten. Also, she still doesnt crawl, and I want her to learn, and

> the

> > Dobbs bar seems to have that advantage and comfort to them. Can

> anyone

> > give me any feedback on these?

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Yes, please speak with Dr. Dobbs for me. I guess he is in China right now, so I

wasnt able to contact him. But that would be cool if you can talk to him 1st

hand!

Christee

Mother of...

*Josh

**Aspen~ Bilateral minor Metatarsus Adductus (6 yrs old)

***Dylan (4 yrs old)

****Lilee ~ Unilateral A-Typical (complex) Club Foot w/Plantaris (R foot) &

Mild Metatarsus Adductus (L foot).

*P/M Brace 18/24.Currently healing pressure ulcer/sore :*( (in the P/M's

w/DuoDerm & Mole Foam)

Concidering Dobbs bar & braces

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

That could be a good idea... If they worked, maybe you could use them as

" healing braces " . Somebody comment if you see anything wrong with that... The

pic of his feet now didn't come through? MY computer went off-line for some

reason while it was downloading. Are you interested or should I skip it?

Christee wrote: Lilee is 7 1/2 months now. From the

pics you sent, I couldnt see his feet, but I can tell you the Lilees legs are

not nearly that chubby! She has chubby feet, and ankles, but also alot of extra

skin there too. I will look in the photos on the site at his otehr pics too. I

have gotten all the alterations done today. works with a local guy Tom. So

far, its ok. But its going to take about a month to see if it really works. I

just want to have the Dobbs brace on the back burner if needed if it is feasable

for her type of foot. Just in case the alterations dont work. I really hate to

see her in pain. Im sure you know the feeling. But I am going to try the

altered first. I will also speak with Dr. P to see what he thinks.

Christee

Mother of...

*Josh

**Aspen~ Bilateral minor Metatarsus Adductus (6 yrs old)

***Dylan (4 yrs old)

****Lilee ~ Unilateral A-Typical (complex) Club Foot w/Plantaris (R foot) &

Mild Metatarsus Adductus (L foot).

*P/M Brace 18/24.Currently healing pressure ulcer/sore :*( (in the P/M's

w/DuoDerm & Mole Foam)

Concidering Dobbs bar & braces

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

Christee,

I don't know where you are with your decision about bracing now, or if

you've talked to Dr. P about it yet - but I just wanted to let you

know that I received a reply from Dr. Dobbs about this. He said he

has several kids with a-typical feet in his brace and they are all

doing quite well. He said you can contact him directly if you are

interested in getting the brace, although he and I both agree that you

should talk to Dr. P before pursuing this option.

hope this helps,

>

> Yes, please speak with Dr. Dobbs for me. I guess he is in China

right now, so I wasnt able to contact him. But that would be cool if

you can talk to him 1st hand!

>

> Christee

> Mother of...

> *Josh

> **Aspen~ Bilateral minor Metatarsus Adductus (6 yrs old)

> ***Dylan (4 yrs old)

> ****Lilee ~ Unilateral A-Typical (complex) Club Foot w/Plantaris

(R foot) & Mild Metatarsus Adductus (L foot).

> *P/M Brace 18/24.Currently healing pressure ulcer/sore :*( (in

the P/M's w/DuoDerm & Mole Foam)

> Concidering Dobbs bar & braces

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Yahoo! Mail

> Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I am still in debate on this. Altering the s have made adifference, but

still getting some sores, just not as bad. I WILL contact Dr. P though on what

he thinks before doing anything.

Christee

Mother of...

*Josh~Learning/Speech Delays (9)

**Aspen~ Bilateral Metatarsus Adductus (6)

***Dylan~PTSD/Anxiety (4)

****Lilee~A-Typical UCF w/Plantaris ® & Metatarsus Adductus (L)

*P/M Brace 16-18/24.Struggling w/pressure sores (8 months)

Concidering Dobbs bar & braces

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

Christee,

Are they new sores or lingering of the old ones? If they're not new,

give her time. I think I've mentioned before it can take a sore

MONTHS to heal in the shoes. I can still see the spot where I folded

Darbi's rubber under for a whole night and that was over 3mo's

ago. It wasn't even a real sore, just a " bad rubbing beginning of a

bister had I left them on much longer " type of thing.

And as such... parents... try to protect your child's feet as much

as possible (although i know it's hard). Each and every sore Darbi

has got on her feet while being a regular kid... a skid or stepping

on something, dropping on the foot... they all take forever to

heal. The shoes just aren't the best thing for healing any kind of

sore and it takes much longer than it would normally. So just be

careful this summer with your walkers k? Robeez are a great option

to keep them barefoot like (best according to Dr. Ponseti) yet

protected from those little scuffs and injuries our feet tend to get

without shoes.

Kori

At 07:59 PM 3/20/2006, you wrote:

>I am still in debate on this. Altering the s have made

>adifference, but still getting some sores, just not as bad. I WILL

>contact Dr. P though on what he thinks before doing anything.

>

> Christee

> Mother of...

> *Josh~Learning/Speech Delays (9)

> **Aspen~ Bilateral Metatarsus Adductus (6)

> ***Dylan~PTSD/Anxiety (4)

> ****Lilee~A-Typical UCF w/Plantaris ® & Metatarsus Adductus (L)

> *P/M Brace 16-18/24.Struggling w/pressure sores (8 months)

> Concidering Dobbs bar & braces

>

>

>

>

>

>

>---------------------------------

> Yahoo! Mail

> Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I wonder if some material... such as a neoprene type

thing... something soft could be placed on top of her foot before

you put the straps over? hummmm... like a big piece of mole foam

but not foamy. More like the stuff on the inside of the Dobbs

AFO's. Something to give more cushion to that strap till her foot

matures some more.

Is that new strap still rubbing on top of the old sore area? It

looked close to me... but you said it wasn't near it or not close

enough to matter. So the new sore is under the newly located middle

strap then?

would be better to tell you when, but there did come a time

(I think around Lilee's current age) that she went back to the

Markells on Dobbs articulating brace because of the lack of ankle

flexion in the AFO's. He was moving about more and so she switched

to the shoes to give him less restriction IIRC. Maybe she'll pop in

and tell you more about that and why tomorrow. Give you a more

rounded view of whether it'd be good for Lilee to go into them now or not.

no baby deserves sores so I completely understand you wanting

something better for her. In some ways I feel yes, they may

help. In others... not so sure if it's *best* in the long run. But

YOU have to be the one to decide what works for your daughter of course :~}

Faith has been a bit absent lately but you know she went through much

of the same with Gabe and it eventually cleared up when his feet got

more mature (less fat). I don't know when that happened... but

maybe there's a light soon if it was around the year mark. I will

email her and ask her to post to you about the timeline for Gabe on this.

Kori

At 08:58 PM 3/20/2006, you wrote:

>Kori, there IS some new ones forming. Not as bad and quick as the

>others yet, but I can see that that middle strap is still an issue.

>Sont get me wrong, they ARE ALOT better than before, but still an

>issue enough to concider the Dobbs. The old ones are slowly healing,

>but that real nasty one is alot better! I dont want to keep her in

>them if they are going to constantly keep making sores that are

>hurting, and making scars, ya know. Im not giving up yet, but

>keeping it as an option.

>

> Christee

> Mother of...

> *Josh~Learning/Speech Delays (9)

> **Aspen~ Bilateral Metatarsus Adductus (6)

> ***Dylan~PTSD/Anxiety (4)

> ****Lilee~A-Typical UCF w/Plantaris ® & Metatarsus Adductus (L)

> *P/M Brace 16-18/24.Struggling w/pressure sores (8 months)

> Concidering Dobbs bar & braces

>

>

>

>

>

>

>---------------------------------

> Yahoo! Mail

> Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Larissa,

Sorry we haven't been more helpful with this. There are very few of us here who

use the Dobbs' Brace.

There is a little parent's guide to the brace in pdf format available here:

http://members.tripod.com/ponseti_links-ivil/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles\

/dobbs_brace_guide2.pdf

Hopefully, you'll find something useful there.

If it's the velcro you're having trouble with, maybe you try some duct tape to

keep everything together until you get ahold of Dr Dobbs and his staff.

Hang in there!

Naomi

The Family

Naomi Hannah(2/21/1) Jonah(6/20/3, corrected BCF, FAB 12-14/7)

bltarver wrote: My son just got put in the dobbs brace

having trouble with the velcro

that keeps the straps down won't stay on the plastic. Does anyone

have any suggestions?

Larissa and

[Guest guest]

Larissa,

Can you glue it back on?

Kori

At 08:45 PM 4/1/2006, you wrote:

>My son just got put in the dobbs brace having trouble with the velcro

>that keeps the straps down won't stay on the plastic. Does anyone

>have any suggestions?

>

>Larissa and

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