Re: Has anyone tried the Wheaton Brace?

[Guest guest]

,

Hello and Congratulations!!!!!! I'm glad you found our group.

In regards to the Wheaton Brace; it is not the type of bracing that

is used with the Ponseti method. The Ponseti method utilizes a brace

called a Foot Abduction Bar (or commonly called the Denis Browne Bar

or DBB). Typically a doctor will start treatment by casting your

child first. With the Ponseti method, this usually corrects the

deformity with 4-9 sets of plaster casts (or 2 months). Most

children then require a heel cord tenotomy. This is a procedure

where the baby's heel cord is cut with the use of a local

anesthetic. Then the baby is cast for about 3 weeks and THEN the

bracing is used 24/7 for 3 months. Then the bracing continues after

that point during nap and nighttime.

Even doctors who don't practice the Ponseti method don't usually

start having a baby wear any type of bracing until the deformity

itself is corrected either by casting/tenotomy or surgery. Bracing

alone can not correct clubfeet. There are other deformities, such as

metatarsus adductus, in which bracing (or nothing) is done and the

foot corrects fine without casting/tenotomy or surgery. This is not

the case for true clubfoot.

With the Ponseti method, it is imperitive that treatment begins as

soon as possible. Baby's feet are more resistant to treatment the

older they are. With Breanna being just a few weeks old, you are

still fine. However, it is my belief that you should have her cast

as soon as possible to address this issue. Again, bracing alone,

will not correct clubfeet.

In regards to bathing, sponge bathing a baby will be just fine while

she is in casts. Although I know I missed having that time with

Annika when she was a babe, the payoff for straight feet isn't even

comparable. She was done with the casting by the time she was 2 1/2

months old. She started with the Ponseti method when she was 5 weeks

old.

If you can share with us where you live, we can see if there is a

Ponseti method doctor located near you that you can call for a

consultation.

Hope that helps.

Lori and Annika

> Hello,

>

> My daughter Breanna Rose was born on 1/5/02 and was diagnosed with

> clubfeet by our local otho. doc. Her right foot is worse than her

> left. Our local ortho. doc. wants us to meet with a specialist to

> see if she will require surgery later on. I was very hesitant to

> have the casts put on that he wanted to do. She currently has

> nothing on. I have been doing the stretching exercises and she has

> been wearing high top shoes to straighten her feet out a little

until

> we have something else done. I searched on the internet over the

> weekend and found the website on Dr. Ponseti. I am impressed with

> the comments by some of his patients. I then ran across the

website

> for the Wheaton Brace. I am wondering if anyone has tried this and

> what the results were. It sounds like it would be a lot better

than

> having to cast her legs. At least she would be able to have baths

> then. Please let me know if anyone has tried these braces and what

> the outcome was.

>

> Thank you very much!

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello,

Thank you for the reply and information. I found on your website that there is

a doctor located in Eau , I'm in Wisconsin, by the name of Edgar O. Hicks.

I sent him an email Sunday nite but have not received a response yet. Do you

know of anyone else or is he the only one in Wisconsin?

Thank you!

immom22qts wrote: ,

Hello and Congratulations!!!!!! I'm glad you found our group.

In regards to the Wheaton Brace; it is not the type of bracing that

is used with the Ponseti method. The Ponseti method utilizes a brace

called a Foot Abduction Bar (or commonly called the Denis Browne Bar

or DBB). Typically a doctor will start treatment by casting your

child first. With the Ponseti method, this usually corrects the

deformity with 4-9 sets of plaster casts (or 2 months). Most

children then require a heel cord tenotomy. This is a procedure

where the baby's heel cord is cut with the use of a local

anesthetic. Then the baby is cast for about 3 weeks and THEN the

bracing is used 24/7 for 3 months. Then the bracing continues after

that point during nap and nighttime.

Even doctors who don't practice the Ponseti method don't usually

start having a baby wear any type of bracing until the deformity

itself is corrected either by casting/tenotomy or surgery. Bracing

alone can not correct clubfeet. There are other deformities, such as

metatarsus adductus, in which bracing (or nothing) is done and the

foot corrects fine without casting/tenotomy or surgery. This is not

the case for true clubfoot.

With the Ponseti method, it is imperitive that treatment begins as

soon as possible. Baby's feet are more resistant to treatment the

older they are. With Breanna being just a few weeks old, you are

still fine. However, it is my belief that you should have her cast

as soon as possible to address this issue. Again, bracing alone,

will not correct clubfeet.

In regards to bathing, sponge bathing a baby will be just fine while

she is in casts. Although I know I missed having that time with

Annika when she was a babe, the payoff for straight feet isn't even

comparable. She was done with the casting by the time she was 2 1/2

months old. She started with the Ponseti method when she was 5 weeks

old.

If you can share with us where you live, we can see if there is a

Ponseti method doctor located near you that you can call for a

consultation.

Hope that helps.

Lori and Annika

> Hello,

>

> My daughter Breanna Rose was born on 1/5/02 and was diagnosed with

> clubfeet by our local otho. doc. Her right foot is worse than her

> left. Our local ortho. doc. wants us to meet with a specialist to

> see if she will require surgery later on. I was very hesitant to

> have the casts put on that he wanted to do. She currently has

> nothing on. I have been doing the stretching exercises and she has

> been wearing high top shoes to straighten her feet out a little

until

> we have something else done. I searched on the internet over the

> weekend and found the website on Dr. Ponseti. I am impressed with

> the comments by some of his patients. I then ran across the

website

> for the Wheaton Brace. I am wondering if anyone has tried this and

> what the results were. It sounds like it would be a lot better

than

> having to cast her legs. At least she would be able to have baths

> then. Please let me know if anyone has tried these braces and what

> the outcome was.

>

> Thank you very much!

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello,

Thank you for the reply and information. I found on your website that there is

a doctor located in Eau , I'm in Wisconsin, by the name of Edgar O. Hicks.

I sent him an email Sunday nite but have not received a response yet. Do you

know of anyone else or is he the only one in Wisconsin?

Thank you!

immom22qts wrote: ,

Hello and Congratulations!!!!!! I'm glad you found our group.

In regards to the Wheaton Brace; it is not the type of bracing that

is used with the Ponseti method. The Ponseti method utilizes a brace

called a Foot Abduction Bar (or commonly called the Denis Browne Bar

or DBB). Typically a doctor will start treatment by casting your

child first. With the Ponseti method, this usually corrects the

deformity with 4-9 sets of plaster casts (or 2 months). Most

children then require a heel cord tenotomy. This is a procedure

where the baby's heel cord is cut with the use of a local

anesthetic. Then the baby is cast for about 3 weeks and THEN the

bracing is used 24/7 for 3 months. Then the bracing continues after

that point during nap and nighttime.

Even doctors who don't practice the Ponseti method don't usually

start having a baby wear any type of bracing until the deformity

itself is corrected either by casting/tenotomy or surgery. Bracing

alone can not correct clubfeet. There are other deformities, such as

metatarsus adductus, in which bracing (or nothing) is done and the

foot corrects fine without casting/tenotomy or surgery. This is not

the case for true clubfoot.

With the Ponseti method, it is imperitive that treatment begins as

soon as possible. Baby's feet are more resistant to treatment the

older they are. With Breanna being just a few weeks old, you are

still fine. However, it is my belief that you should have her cast

as soon as possible to address this issue. Again, bracing alone,

will not correct clubfeet.

In regards to bathing, sponge bathing a baby will be just fine while

she is in casts. Although I know I missed having that time with

Annika when she was a babe, the payoff for straight feet isn't even

comparable. She was done with the casting by the time she was 2 1/2

months old. She started with the Ponseti method when she was 5 weeks

old.

If you can share with us where you live, we can see if there is a

Ponseti method doctor located near you that you can call for a

consultation.

Hope that helps.

Lori and Annika

> Hello,

>

> My daughter Breanna Rose was born on 1/5/02 and was diagnosed with

> clubfeet by our local otho. doc. Her right foot is worse than her

> left. Our local ortho. doc. wants us to meet with a specialist to

> see if she will require surgery later on. I was very hesitant to

> have the casts put on that he wanted to do. She currently has

> nothing on. I have been doing the stretching exercises and she has

> been wearing high top shoes to straighten her feet out a little

until

> we have something else done. I searched on the internet over the

> weekend and found the website on Dr. Ponseti. I am impressed with

> the comments by some of his patients. I then ran across the

website

> for the Wheaton Brace. I am wondering if anyone has tried this and

> what the results were. It sounds like it would be a lot better

than

> having to cast her legs. At least she would be able to have baths

> then. Please let me know if anyone has tried these braces and what

> the outcome was.

>

> Thank you very much!

>

> Sincerely,

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi !

I should say welcome as well! I also live in Wisconsin (in

Manitowoc, right on Lake Michigan). After four months of

unsuccessful castings (15 casts) and an unsucessful heel cord

lenghtening, we took our son Sam directly to Dr. Ponseti. His foot

was corrected with five Ponseti casts. We drove back and forth

weekly form Appleton, WI to Iowa City for a month and it was the best

sacrifice of time (and money) I've ever made. I would do it again in

a heartbeat if I had another child born with clubfeet. At the time,

I was not aware of any Ponseti Dr. in WI. There was a Dr. in

Appleton that at one time, might have been on the list of qualified

Drs., but when Dr. Ponseti was contacted about our situation, he

personally called that Dr. and found out that he didn't use the

method enough to really be qualified anymore. I don't remember his

name.

Now, I believe that there might be one (Dr. Noonan, I want to

say???) in Madison, but I'm not all too sure about this. I thought I

heard that he relocated recently from Indiana. Trevellian

might know more about this than I do. Like Joy said, if you are

close to the Minneapolis area, you should definitely check out the

Shriners hospital there. And, as the Cast lady has said, they are

practicing the Ponseti method at Gilette in St. as well.

I hope this is of some help. Gotta go get my boy to bed!!

Suzanne and Sam 4-19-00 left cf

P.S. Sam is now 21 months old and running around like gangbusters

with a beautiful corrected foot!

> ,

> Welcome!! I have a daughter named Rose, and I think that Breanna's

name

> is very pretty.

> We live in Wisconsin (45 minutes from Eau ). We did not go

to

> Dr. Hicks because he was not on Ponseti's list at the time, plus

Rose

> was an older baby when we started with the method. I have had no

> experience with Dr. Hicks, but I did email him once but didn't

receive a

> response. How far are you from the Cities? The Shriner's hospital

in

> Minneapolis has a couple of doctors who practice Ponseti's method

> (CASTLADY! confirmation?? ).

>

> If you live so close by, we will have to try and get together

sometime!!

> My address is joybelle15 @ webtv.net (w/o the spaces) if you'd like

to

> contact me offlist.

>

> Joy

>

>

> http://community.webtv.net/joybelle15/ROSESCLUBFOOTPAGE

[Guest guest]

I have a 9 month old who was born with a right clubfoot. We used the wheaton

brace after 6 weeks of casting to hold the correction. We changed from the

wheaton brace to a custom fitted AFO at 4 months of age. The custome fitted

AFO, which is very similar to the wheaton brace, but custom molded to fit his

or her foot and to achieve the specific correction needed, seemed much more

effective. I personally think for such small feet with such varying degrees

of deformity, a custom fitted device is preferable.

[Guest guest]

I have a 9 month old who was born with a right clubfoot. We used the wheaton

brace after 6 weeks of casting to hold the correction. We changed from the

wheaton brace to a custom fitted AFO at 4 months of age. The custome fitted

AFO, which is very similar to the wheaton brace, but custom molded to fit his

or her foot and to achieve the specific correction needed, seemed much more

effective. I personally think for such small feet with such varying degrees

of deformity, a custom fitted device is preferable.

[Guest guest]

AFO-Articulated Foot Orthotic (or Articulating)

Made of plastic, moulded to your child's specific foot.

Some doctors use this type of bracing after casting or

following surgical correction of the clubfoot deformity.

It can be worn inside shoes and is usually worn during

waking hours.

AFO's are not prescribed with the Ponseti method. Over years

of dealing with clubfeet treated with the Ponseti method in

Iowa, they have found that the best results come with use of

the FAB (foot abduction bar). An AFO does not do as good of

a job holding the foot in the over-corrected position achieved

with the Ponseti method. I don't have any information about

it's effectiveness in use following surgical correction, ( I think

it can vary) but have heard many parents say they have utilized them.

Lori Stime

I have a 9 month old who was born with a

right clubfoot. We used the wheaton

> brace after 6 weeks of casting to hold the correction. We changed

from the

> wheaton brace to a custom fitted AFO at 4 months of age. The

custome fitted

> AFO, which is very similar to the wheaton brace, but custom molded

to fit his

> or her foot and to achieve the specific correction needed, seemed

much more

> effective. I personally think for such small feet with such varying

degrees

> of deformity, a custom fitted device is preferable.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I had to refer to my pamphlet that came with instructions for the brace. AFO

stands for Ankle-Foot Orthosis and the definition in the literature says

" Ortosis worn to control motion or reduce load in the ankle and foot. " I

don't think this was really the purpose of our brace, however, I learned

while I was there that this particular brace is used for lots of purposes.

One that sticks in my mind is for heel cord tightening associated with

cerebral palsy. Heel cord tightening is of course a problem associated with

club foot and in my opinion I felt like Pepper's heel stayed down in this

brace so much better than the wheaton brace and I attributed is to being so

much better fitted to Pepper's little fat foot and better strapping. Hope

this helps.

[Guest guest]

I had to refer to my pamphlet that came with instructions for the brace. AFO

stands for Ankle-Foot Orthosis and the definition in the literature says

" Ortosis worn to control motion or reduce load in the ankle and foot. " I

don't think this was really the purpose of our brace, however, I learned

while I was there that this particular brace is used for lots of purposes.

One that sticks in my mind is for heel cord tightening associated with

cerebral palsy. Heel cord tightening is of course a problem associated with

club foot and in my opinion I felt like Pepper's heel stayed down in this

brace so much better than the wheaton brace and I attributed is to being so

much better fitted to Pepper's little fat foot and better strapping. Hope

this helps.

[Guest guest]

OOOooops....I'm so sorry for the faux pas. Don't know where my

head was. I was thinking of a Articulating AFO. Thanks for

correcting me.

Lori and Annika