Re: Question about my 9 month old son not being able to stay in the Right boot

[Guest guest]

Hi. Everything I've learned from this group is that there are 3 main

causes to the child not keeping the shoe on. First, the foot may not

be properly corrected. Was your son treated by a Ponseti qualified

doctor? You can access the list of doctors through the links section

of this group. Second, user error. There is a great tips document

in

the file section. kicked his shoe off constantly because it

was too small. Bar length is also a common problem - if the bar is

too

short, the babies get the shoe off. Make sure the heels are shoulder

width apart. Third, if the foot was atypical they will never keep

the

Markell boot on. The P/M will be the way to go. If you are already

in

the process of getting the P/M, you won't need to worry about issues

2

& 3 much, as soon as you get the new shoes you will be good there!

If you want to get a second opinion on the foot being corrected, it

certainly never hurts. Dr. Ponseti is actually very kind and will

look

at pictures of your son's feet to give his opinion via email. You

will

need to send him the following series of photos:

1. Son standing bearing weight, picture from the knees down taken

from

the front.

2. Son standing bearing weight, picture from the knees down taken

from

the back.

3. Son standing bearing weight, picture from the knees down taken

from

each side.

4. Flex the foot with your palm to show the dorxiflexion. Press the

toes toward the knee, but use your whole palm so the ankle is

stretched

instead of " bending " the foot. Take one of each foot this way.

University Link - this will give you access to the doctor list and

Dr.

Ponseti's email:

http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/medicaldepartments/orthopaedics/clu

bf

eet/index.html

I am sure others will chime in here and if you post what doctor you

use

there might be some people that have information about him. Good

luck!

Kaci (mom to , 12/17/05, bcf, FAB 18/7)

>

> My son is now 9 months and was born with bilateral club foot. His

> Right foot is more difficult. He was casted 4 days after birth and

> had a R tenotomy. He has been put in the white boots with the bar

and

> he is still unable to keep the right foot in the boot. They also

> attempted a backless boot and an AFO which also has not worked. He

> has great range of motion and the physician states he is at

a " loss "

> as to why he is not staying in the boots. They are now going to try

a

> brace. Has anyone else had this problem? I am ready to

seek

> a 2nd opinion. Thnaks - Neils mom

>

[Guest guest]

Hi from Neil's mom,

THanks for the information - he is being fitted for the mitchel brace so

hopefully this will work - thanks again

nokitty00 wrote:

Hi. Everything I've learned from this group is that there are 3 main

causes to the child not keeping the shoe on. First, the foot may not

be properly corrected. Was your son treated by a Ponseti qualified

doctor? You can access the list of doctors through the links section

of this group. Second, user error. There is a great tips document

in

the file section. kicked his shoe off constantly because it

was too small. Bar length is also a common problem - if the bar is

too

short, the babies get the shoe off. Make sure the heels are shoulder

width apart. Third, if the foot was atypical they will never keep

the

Markell boot on. The P/M will be the way to go. If you are already

in

the process of getting the P/M, you won't need to worry about issues

2

& 3 much, as soon as you get the new shoes you will be good there!

If you want to get a second opinion on the foot being corrected, it

certainly never hurts. Dr. Ponseti is actually very kind and will

look

at pictures of your son's feet to give his opinion via email. You

will

need to send him the following series of photos:

1. Son standing bearing weight, picture from the knees down taken

from

the front.

2. Son standing bearing weight, picture from the knees down taken

from

the back.

3. Son standing bearing weight, picture from the knees down taken

from

each side.

4. Flex the foot with your palm to show the dorxiflexion. Press the

toes toward the knee, but use your whole palm so the ankle is

stretched

instead of " bending " the foot. Take one of each foot this way.

University Link - this will give you access to the doctor list and

Dr.

Ponseti's email:

http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/medicaldepartments/orthopaedics/clu

bf

eet/index.html

I am sure others will chime in here and if you post what doctor you

use

there might be some people that have information about him. Good

luck!

Kaci (mom to , 12/17/05, bcf, FAB 18/7)

>

> My son is now 9 months and was born with bilateral club foot. His

> Right foot is more difficult. He was casted 4 days after birth and

> had a R tenotomy. He has been put in the white boots with the bar

and

> he is still unable to keep the right foot in the boot. They also

> attempted a backless boot and an AFO which also has not worked. He

> has great range of motion and the physician states he is at

a " loss "

> as to why he is not staying in the boots. They are now going to try

a

> brace. Has anyone else had this problem? I am ready to

seek

> a 2nd opinion. Thnaks - Neils mom

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, and welcome to the group!

I'm a bit concerned about your son's difficulty with the brace. Not

having much information (treatment history) other than what you've

posted, my gut feeling is that your doctor doesn't quite have his feet

corrected and this is why the bracing isn't working. Have you been

struggling with bracing for 6 months or more? (assuming that you've

been with the same doctor since birth and he was corrected within 5-7

casts?) The fact that your doctor tried two other variations of

bracing (unsuccessfully) is a major indicator to me that there is some

issue with the foot/feet themselves that needs to be resolved and this

particular doctor doesn't know how to address the issue per se.

Can you tell us who your son's doctor is or what area you live in so

that we might recommend some doctors in your area? You mentioned that

you're ready to get a second opinion and based on what you've shared,

I would highly encourage it; it seems like you've indicated that your

mommy instincts are telling you something isn't right!

There's a parents' checklist at this site:

http://members.tripod.com/ponseti_links-ivil that will help you to

assess the situation to see if your doctor is following the method

correctly.

Sometimes doctors just don't quite get the foot all the way corrected

and one or two more casts are needed to " finish the job " . If your son

has not been able to keep a brace on his foot for such a long time,

the odds are that just putting him in the Ponseti- brace will

not be a solution without first casting his feet.

Do you have pictures of Neil's feet that you can share with us?

Perhaps we can tell by the pictures if there is some glaring problem.

Some of the parents have children with complex clubfoot and they're

very good at identifying indicators of these 'unusual' conditions.

We're glad you're here and hopefully we can help you gather enough

information to help Neil get on track and happy in his brace!

Regards,

& (3-16-00, left clubfoot)

http://ponseticlubfoot.freeservers.com/

>

> My son is now 9 months and was born with bilateral club foot. His

> Right foot is more difficult. He was casted 4 days after birth and

> had a R tenotomy. He has been put in the white boots with the bar

and

> he is still unable to keep the right foot in the boot. They also

> attempted a backless boot and an AFO which also has not worked. He

> has great range of motion and the physician states he is at a " loss "

> as to why he is not staying in the boots. They are now going to try

a

> brace. Has anyone else had this problem? I am ready to

seek

> a 2nd opinion. Thnaks - Neils mom

>

[Guest guest]

I know everyone has given you lots of good advice. My son's was a Houdini until

we got non skid socks. The sock's have plastic on the bottoms of them. I found

them at the Children's Place and Old Navy.

Hope this helps

LaRena

Dillon R CF 1/17/03