It’s been a little while since there has been a “club feet” update. Mostly, because there has been nothing to update you on. It’s been a few months since we’ve seen the orthopedic surgeon – and it’s still another couple of months before our next appointment.
But we HAVE been putting off on task. Mike has been wearing the same shoes for several months now. So long, in fact, that his toes were sticking out over the end of the shoe (yes - they are open-toed shoes!) and the straps were hanging on by a thread (literally!).
We were hoping that Mike would start walking and we could ditch the shoes (and the brace) altogether. And while he has no problems standing up (as long as his hand is touching something that at least appears stable) he still hasn’t taken those first “solo” steps yet. That’s not to say that he doesn’t walk. No sir! he will walk behind anything that he can stand behind and push around the room. Chairs. Walkers. Cardboard boxes. You name it.
But that’s not enough for our orthopedic friends! Nope – they want him to be fully walking with no assistance before they will consider dumping the brace.
So it was off to our favorite orthotics place. The folks at Hanger’s really are fantastic. The will bend over backwards and do whatever it takes to make the orthotic device fit as good and comfortable as possible – which is certainly important for clubbed feet kids (remember those pressure points? We sure do…) but it’s just as important for people with artificial limbs – or any other type of orthotics device.
So – we walked in the door and handed them the shoes and brace. A quick look resulted in a “Wow! These have been around the block a few times”. A quick measurement of Mike’s foot – a quick trip to the back – and viola! New shoes mounted on the brace.
So – how long have we waited for these new shoes? Let me put it this way. His original shoes were a size 00. The shoes we just replaced were a size 0. His new shoes are a size 3! And boy – they sure do go on his feet easier!
1 comment:
I remember the toes hanging out of the shoes days. lol
When you say dump the brace, do you mean night time as well?
Not to scare you or anything but I would be leary of stopping the brace completely at this age. I would think he should be in it for nighttime wear for awhile longer.
Matthew was in his bar at nighttime until age 2 and honestly, looking back, I wish he had stayed in it until at least 3.
But then who knows. Maybe relapses are more common with nerve damage and clubfoot.
Glad you got some bigger shoes!
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