Guest guest Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 I was wondering. My doctor hasn't recommended it yet but I have left a message with him to see if I can get a referral from him to get into the First Steps program. I don't see where it would hurt to help them try to do the things that other children are doing. I am still mystified as to how he is going to learn how to crawl. He will stand up with his shoes on or off and likes to stand up by the couch but he can't get there by himself. And if he can only get his shoes off a few hours a day, how will he learn this stuff. My doctor said that he has to wear the shoes until full time until he can walk and then we will cut back. At this rate it is going to be a long time coming! " littlebrat2002 " littlebrat2002@...> 07/13/04 04:01 PM Please respond to nosurgery4clubfoot To nosurgery4clubfoot cc Subject Re: physical therapy Yes, Tyler has a pt come in once a week to help him in stretching and learning to walk. It is helping him alot too! Since his pt has been working with him he is standing. Which is something that he could not do before. Tyler's mom bi lat cf 1/14/03 > Does anyone use physical therapy for their child in order to stretch > the muscles, teach them how to crawl or walk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 , Dr. Ponseti's protocol calls for the brace to be worn 23 hours/day for the first 3 months after removing the last cast. After that three month period the amount of time the brace is worn is reduced. It seems that most are reduced to 16-18 hours/ day, then reduced to 14 hours, and then again to 12 hours. I can't tell you the time frames though. I know that some of the more experienced parents can help me out with that. just saw Dr. Ponseti last week and he reduced her time in the brace to 20hrs/day for the next four weeks. She will then be 18 hrs for another 4 weeks and then stay at 16 hrs for a while after that. It should end up that the child wears the brace while sleeping (naps and night time) and therefore does not interfere with crawling and walking. From what I've read in the postings here, most children learn how to crawl and cruise both with the brace on and off. Sorry for rambling. Just wanted to share my observations. Bridget 2/20/04 bl cf sandals 20/7 Mangum .Mangum@...> wrote: I was wondering. My doctor hasn't recommended it yet but I have left a message with him to see if I can get a referral from him to get into the First Steps program. I don't see where it would hurt to help them try to do the things that other children are doing. I am still mystified as to how he is going to learn how to crawl. He will stand up with his shoes on or off and likes to stand up by the couch but he can't get there by himself. And if he can only get his shoes off a few hours a day, how will he learn this stuff. My doctor said that he has to wear the shoes until full time until he can walk and then we will cut back. At this rate it is going to be a long time coming! " littlebrat2002 " littlebrat2002@...> 07/13/04 04:01 PM Please respond to nosurgery4clubfoot To nosurgery4clubfoot cc Subject Re: physical therapy Yes, Tyler has a pt come in once a week to help him in stretching and learning to walk. It is helping him alot too! Since his pt has been working with him he is standing. Which is something that he could not do before. Tyler's mom bi lat cf 1/14/03 > Does anyone use physical therapy for their child in order to stretch > the muscles, teach them how to crawl or walk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 , Dr. Ponseti's protocol calls for the brace to be worn 23 hours/day for the first 3 months after removing the last cast. After that three month period the amount of time the brace is worn is reduced. It seems that most are reduced to 16-18 hours/ day, then reduced to 14 hours, and then again to 12 hours. I can't tell you the time frames though. I know that some of the more experienced parents can help me out with that. just saw Dr. Ponseti last week and he reduced her time in the brace to 20hrs/day for the next four weeks. She will then be 18 hrs for another 4 weeks and then stay at 16 hrs for a while after that. It should end up that the child wears the brace while sleeping (naps and night time) and therefore does not interfere with crawling and walking. From what I've read in the postings here, most children learn how to crawl and cruise both with the brace on and off. Sorry for rambling. Just wanted to share my observations. Bridget 2/20/04 bl cf sandals 20/7 Mangum .Mangum@...> wrote: I was wondering. My doctor hasn't recommended it yet but I have left a message with him to see if I can get a referral from him to get into the First Steps program. I don't see where it would hurt to help them try to do the things that other children are doing. I am still mystified as to how he is going to learn how to crawl. He will stand up with his shoes on or off and likes to stand up by the couch but he can't get there by himself. And if he can only get his shoes off a few hours a day, how will he learn this stuff. My doctor said that he has to wear the shoes until full time until he can walk and then we will cut back. At this rate it is going to be a long time coming! " littlebrat2002 " littlebrat2002@...> 07/13/04 04:01 PM Please respond to nosurgery4clubfoot To nosurgery4clubfoot cc Subject Re: physical therapy Yes, Tyler has a pt come in once a week to help him in stretching and learning to walk. It is helping him alot too! Since his pt has been working with him he is standing. Which is something that he could not do before. Tyler's mom bi lat cf 1/14/03 > Does anyone use physical therapy for their child in order to stretch > the muscles, teach them how to crawl or walk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 Apparently this never got sent yesterday... weird. Sorry! At 01:46 PM 7/13/2004, you wrote: >I was wondering. My doctor hasn't recommended it yet but I have left a >message with him to see if I can get a referral from him to get into the >First Steps program. I don't see where it would hurt to help them try to >do the things that other children are doing. I am still mystified as to >how he is going to learn how to crawl. hehe, crawling is easy enough in the brace. Ever seen one of those crawling dolls that the butt sways from side to side? Well, that's how it works :~} Pretty cute I think. Especially when they crawl without the brace and that butt gets to swaying side to side anyway, hehe. Crawling will come just fine - I wouldn't worry too much about that. > He will stand up with his shoes on >or off and likes to stand up by the couch but he can't get there by >himself. And if he can only get his shoes off a few hours a day, how will >he learn this stuff. My doctor said that he has to wear the shoes until >full time until he can walk and then we will cut back. At this rate it is >going to be a long time coming! uhhhhh.... yeah. Even if he walks early (let's say 10 mo's) it's a long time coming (would have been 5-6mo for us). The full time wear is only for 3 months. Why on earth a doc would deviate *that* far beyond what's recommended is beyond me. It's like half the docs don't prescribe enough time and the rest overdo it to the point of ridiculous. Email Dr. Ponseti and ask him how long baby should be in the DBB 23/7 and when he writes you back take that to your doc. If he says no way I'd walk away and reduce the time anyway. What a PITA to be full time till walking. And I do think you're right in one sense there... I think it might encourage developmental delays if baby never gets out of it till walking (but I'm not sure, since we didn't do that). I don't know how he'd learn to walk if he wears it all the time like that. Crawling is a no-brainer. it only involves the knees and hips and the feet follow along. Walking however involves being able to balance long enough on one foot to get the other one in front. Much more than crawling and practice with the cruising is essential. Darbi cruised great in the bar but much better without it. She walked early but if she was more like her closest brother and under this doc's care she wouldn't have come out of the brace full time till last month. And that's assuming she could figure out how to walk better than her brother did not having a brace to hinder him with. Oh no, I seriously doubt that if she were he... that she'd be walking even now if she'd been in full time that long. She's been walking for almost 6 months now already. If your doc thinks first steps is appropriate... I'd absolutely question his advice on brace wear. If a child needs help learning to walk after a reasonable effort has been made to give him the tools (let's say tools here are *feet* not tied together by a brace) then sure - a program is in order. But without the tools in the first place how does one know that he can't do it on his own? OK, I'll stop... but this all makes no sense to me at all. I suppose I'm not so good at having a somewhat disabled child... she seems so normal and I expect nothing less than peak performance from her :~} Kori Mama of Kenton - 6/98 Merek - 3/00 Darbi - 3/28/03 - Rt. CF - DBB 12hr/d (¨`·.·´¨) `·.¸(¨`·.·´¨) `·.¸.·´ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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