Plastic Bar / Dorisflexion

[Guest guest]

Hello Everyone,

We use the plastic bar because it does what the metal bar did

without the extra weight. I was wondering about those bent metal

bars... now I know they are for dorsiflexion based on the

questions. We never had a bent bar from the beginning, so really we

were just replacing one material with another.

I am not a materials expert but if a bar supplier cared to they

could develop a lighter bar using plastic, or even a much lighter

metal than stainless steel (for pete's sake!) to make the 'bent' bar

as well.

Just a word about the doctor treating our daughter. We are really

happy with him/ and our daughter's treatment. Obviously, it differs

from some of the other treatments using Ponzetti protocal. Our

doctor does serial casting and surgery is a very last resort... our

main concerns. He is a clinical professor and very conscientious in

our opinion. He has ultrasounds done on the childrens feet after

the casting is completed and he feels the correction has been

achieved. The ultrasounds are taken while the feet are in a series

of flexions, after the casting is over to see 100% where the

bones/cartilage are in the foot. They take measurements and so on

to determine the range of motion and any further steps in the

treatment.

I have a ton of respect for Ponzetti, also our doctor Dr. Craig,

and all the parents doing the best for their children.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for posting the pictures of the plastic bar, I really couldn't

picture what you were talking about, so this is helpful. Maybe if you

are interested you can pursue the dorsiflexion issue with the

orthotist and they can come up with a design that incorporates it into

the plastic bar.

I'm glad that you are happy with Dr. Craig and feel comfortable with

his treatment. Please don't take any of the comments here as

criticism, just observation based on our experiences. I hope that you

weren't bothered by our " questioning " the protocol Dr. Craig is

following. We really just want to make sure you are aware of the

" official " Ponseti protocol and know what variations your doctor is

making and how they can affect the outcome. In some cases doctors

make variations that really lead to poor results and the parents don't

know why, they just know it didn't work. If you have all the info and

are satisfied then that just makes you a more informed parent, making

informed treatment decisions about their child.

Best wishes to you and and her wonderful little tootsies!

Mom to Jenna (4/7/01) & Sammy (9/25/04, RCF, Dobbs' brace, 12-14hrs/day)

>

> Hello Everyone,

>

> We use the plastic bar because it does what the metal bar did

> without the extra weight. I was wondering about those bent metal

> bars... now I know they are for dorsiflexion based on the

> questions. We never had a bent bar from the beginning, so really we

> were just replacing one material with another.

>

> I am not a materials expert but if a bar supplier cared to they

> could develop a lighter bar using plastic, or even a much lighter

> metal than stainless steel (for pete's sake!) to make the 'bent' bar

> as well.

>

> Just a word about the doctor treating our daughter. We are really

> happy with him/ and our daughter's treatment. Obviously, it differs

> from some of the other treatments using Ponzetti protocal. Our

> doctor does serial casting and surgery is a very last resort... our

> main concerns. He is a clinical professor and very conscientious in

> our opinion. He has ultrasounds done on the childrens feet after

> the casting is completed and he feels the correction has been

> achieved. The ultrasounds are taken while the feet are in a series

> of flexions, after the casting is over to see 100% where the

> bones/cartilage are in the foot. They take measurements and so on

> to determine the range of motion and any further steps in the

> treatment.

>

> I have a ton of respect for Ponzetti, also our doctor Dr. Craig,

> and all the parents doing the best for their children.

>