Spina Bifida & DDB vs. AFOs

[Guest guest]

Had our 3 week old son, , at the Dr. today for his second set of casts.

His feet have moved an incredible amount! Today he also had a bar attached

between his casts in order to keep his dislocated hips in place. The Dr. was

talking with me about the difference in results of the Ponseti method with Spina

Bifida kids compared to the general public. He talked about how he could most

likely do the tendon cut without numbing because of the lack of sensation, but

that he'd check carefully for sensation before doing that. He discussed the

fact that sometimes using AFOs is a better choice than going the DBB route for

Spina Bifida patients. This was based on the fact that later he may need

extensive bracing in order to walk and the braces will give the support that's

needed and is acheived by the DBB results. I'm expecting my son to grow to use

a wheelchair because of choice (because of the extreme effort it may take for

him to walk), if not of neccessity. I can't remember everything the Dr. said,

but at the time we were talking, it made sense to me. Why go the DBB route and

spend so much time in them when thay may not produce the expected results? The

little I know about AFOs makes them a more attractive choice because of ease of

use. Does this make sense to anyone else who's a Spina Bifida parent? What has

been the experiences of other SB parents? Did your Dr. go strictly the Ponseti

route, or a modification of it? What was the reasoning? How did it turn out?

Thanks for the help. Isn't the internet the best way to educate yourself? I

love it!

Donna