Red Fillauer Adjustable Bar

[Guest guest]

We have the large adjustable bar - I think it goes from 9 " to 14 " .

The problem is that Owen is not yet 2yrs and there's not a lot of

room left to adjust the bar to a wider width! With the red

adjustable bar, there are basically two bar pieces that overlap in

the centre and fasten with clamps - to widen the bar, you loosen the

clamps and slide the two pieces out and then retighten the clamps.

My question is, what happens when we can't slide the bars out any

further? Since the recommended age of FAB use has increased by a

couple of years, does anyone know if there is a larger bar available

or one in production that will be available to accomodate 3-4 yr olds

who use the FAB? Who should I contact to check up on this?

Thanks,

Daiga and Owen, 02/04/03

Unilateral LCF, FAB 14/24 (until age 4 as recommended by Dr. Pirani)

[Guest guest]

Daiga,

We also have the red adjustable bar. We used it up until was

4 and there was still room for it to be widened. I don't think that

it will need to be wider than what it can adjust to.

Also, we found out about the Ponseti method in April of 1999. At

that time, Dr. Pnoseti's web site said the shoes and bar would need

to be worn for from 2 to 4 years of age (the 2 to 4 years was

depending on the status at check-ups). Although we hoped that Dr.

Ponseti might feel that feet were ready to be released from

the bar earlier than 4 years of age, we always knew that it might be

4 years. I don't think that has changed other than Dr. Ponseti feels

more comfortable being at the 4 year end than at the 2 year end.

I think that the benefit of getting past the 2 years is that by then

at least you should be beyond the risk of relapse that might have to

be corrected by a posterior release type of surgery. Also after 2

years if there was a relapse, that if you had to, the ATTT surgery

could be used and then the FAB/DBB would not be needed beyond that.

And so we took 's use of the FAB/DBB to 4 years of age. It

actually seemed to get a bit easier the closer to 4 that he got

because we could discuss more with him about why he was wearing the

FAB.

and (3-17-99)

>

> We have the large adjustable bar - I think it goes from 9 " to 14 " .

> The problem is that Owen is not yet 2yrs and there's not a lot of

> room left to adjust the bar to a wider width! With the red

> adjustable bar, there are basically two bar pieces that overlap in

> the centre and fasten with clamps - to widen the bar, you loosen

the

> clamps and slide the two pieces out and then retighten the clamps.

> My question is, what happens when we can't slide the bars out any

> further? Since the recommended age of FAB use has increased by a

> couple of years, does anyone know if there is a larger bar

available

> or one in production that will be available to accomodate 3-4 yr

olds

> who use the FAB? Who should I contact to check up on this?

>

> Thanks,

>

> Daiga and Owen, 02/04/03

> Unilateral LCF, FAB 14/24 (until age 4 as recommended by Dr. Pirani)

[Guest guest]

Daiga,

grew out of his bar a few months ago. He is tall for his age and a

broad-shouldered boy, wears T-shirts, etc for 2-3 year olds already. His

hips are narrow and his elasticated pants usually slide down his little

waist! We had got to the stage where the bar was extended as far as it

could go to still allow the two clamps to fit on. We were worried that

it was pretty weak at the join point, because there was no more support

either side of the bar.

To our surprise, the orthotist told us that we already had the largest

adjustable bar available. He saw the manufacturers early this year and

asked them to make a longer one for the 'big' South African babies! I

have no idea if or when this will ever happen.

To solve our problem, he sent a bar to the engineering shop he uses to

make prostheses for artificial limbs, etc. They welded two pieces of

aluminium bar to the ends and resprayed it. It had to be redone, because

the first time they didn't make the weld strong enough and it snapped on

one side at the weld. We now have a customised silver bar, very strong,

that has enough space to expand comfortably until is 4 years old

(and probably 15 years old too!) The rest of the bar is still as it

was, just longer - holes for the shoe bolts, 15 deg bend for

dorsiflexion, etc.

and

24 Jan 2003, bilateral

www.clubfoot.co.za

>

> We have the large adjustable bar - I think it goes from 9 " to 14 " .

> The problem is that Owen is not yet 2yrs and there's not a lot of

> room left to adjust the bar to a wider width! With the red

> adjustable bar, there are basically two bar pieces that overlap in

> the centre and fasten with clamps - to widen the bar, you loosen

the

> clamps and slide the two pieces out and then retighten the clamps.

> My question is, what happens when we can't slide the bars out any

> further? Since the recommended age of FAB use has increased by a

> couple of years, does anyone know if there is a larger bar

available

> or one in production that will be available to accomodate 3-4 yr

olds

> who use the FAB? Who should I contact to check up on this?

>

> Thanks,

>

> Daiga and Owen, 02/04/03

> Unilateral LCF, FAB 14/24 (until age 4 as recommended by Dr. Pirani)

[Guest guest]

Daiga,

I sent a note to Fillauer asking if they'd been approached about the

possibility of creating a larger bar for the older children for whom

the 9-15 inch bar was too small. I will paste the response I got

below. Perhaps this could be addressed with the doctors and

orthotists at the U of Iowa during the symposium. You will be there,

right? The difficulty would be to determine an estimate of how

many " big " kids would be needing this longer bar in the next few

years.

& (3-16-00)

left clubfoot

Dear ,

To my knowledge, no one from the U of Iowa, American Prosthetics &

Orthotics, or Markell Shoe Company has contacted us to discuss a

longer adjustable spreader bar. We would be happy to consider this

idea: to do so, we would need to discuss what minimum volume our

customer would be able to commit to so that a price can be

calculated. Please feel free to contact me via phone or email to

discuss this idea further.

Sincere regards,

K. Todd

President, Fillauer LLC

Subsidiary of Fillauer Companies, Inc.

tsmith@...

or

[Guest guest]

, it sounds like and Owen are very similar in body

type. Owen is wearing shirts/tops in sizes 2-4, yet his pants (size

2) fall down his hips. I've had to stitch the back seam at the waist

of nearly all of his pants by at least an inch in order to keep them

from falling off!

His bar is extended to about the end now - there is only about an

inch and a half of overlapping bar in the centre now and as you

mentioned, if I go much beyond that, those clamps will definitely not

hold.

I just measured his bar. Already, from bolt to bolt (from the bottom

of the shoe), the bar is extended to about 14½ inches. From the

insides of heels, it measures 10 inches...but like a said, there

really isn't any room to expand beyond this point!

Do you know which manufacturer your orthotist made contact with?

Perhaps if there was a group effort, we could get them to move on

this issue.

Daiga

> >

> > We have the large adjustable bar - I think it goes from 9 " to

14 " .

> > The problem is that Owen is not yet 2yrs and there's not a lot of

> > room left to adjust the bar to a wider width! With the red

> > adjustable bar, there are basically two bar pieces that overlap

in

> > the centre and fasten with clamps - to widen the bar, you loosen

> the

> > clamps and slide the two pieces out and then retighten the

clamps.

> > My question is, what happens when we can't slide the bars out any

> > further? Since the recommended age of FAB use has increased by a

> > couple of years, does anyone know if there is a larger bar

> available

> > or one in production that will be available to accomodate 3-4 yr

> olds

> > who use the FAB? Who should I contact to check up on this?

> >

> > Thanks,

> >

> > Daiga and Owen, 02/04/03

> > Unilateral LCF, FAB 14/24 (until age 4 as recommended by Dr.

Pirani)

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I find Fillauer's need to get a commitment from their customers before they

consider making a longer bar rather disturbing. Like, if they can't get a

commitment they aren't going to make an essential piece of orthotic

equipment that our children need. They should just make the longer bar and

worry about how to price it afterwards. We're not talking about a major

overworking of the bar itself, just longer. Order longer pieces of

aluminum from their supplier or cut the things longer from the long pieces

they very likely cut them from in the first place. The ends stay the same,

we just need a little more length on the non-machined end - simple! I just

widened Darbi's bar two days ago and the heels are now 8.5 " (unilateral -

makes a difference when one boot isn't at 70 degrees) and the bar is at

13 " . This means, that at 18 mo's she has a maximum of 1.5 inches to go

before her bar can't go anymore. Don't TELL me she's going to make it

another year and a half (3yo) and not need to widen it past 1.5 " more.

OK - this is getting me all worked up now. I've got a large footed and

apparently wide shouldered child (she's in the 50th percentile for weight

though) and she will need a bigger bar soon at the rate she's

growing. We've only had the red bar for about 6mo and I've widened it

twice in that time, at least an inch both times.

Kori & Darbi

3/03 - DBB 12hr/day

Size 4 Markells Already, What A Big Foot Girl!

[Guest guest]

Daiga,

I'll ask the orthotist who he requested the longer bar from and

hopefully get an email address. Then I'll post it here and we can

flood them with enquiries from the group so they get more interested in

making them!

and

www.clubfoot.co.za

Re: Red Fillauer Adjustable Bar

, it sounds like and Owen are very similar in body

type. Owen is wearing shirts/tops in sizes 2-4, yet his pants (size

2) fall down his hips. I've had to stitch the back seam at the waist

of nearly all of his pants by at least an inch in order to keep them

from falling off!

His bar is extended to about the end now - there is only about an

inch and a half of overlapping bar in the centre now and as you

mentioned, if I go much beyond that, those clamps will definitely not

hold.

I just measured his bar. Already, from bolt to bolt (from the bottom

of the shoe), the bar is extended to about 14½ inches. From the

insides of heels, it measures 10 inches...but like a said, there

really isn't any room to expand beyond this point!

Do you know which manufacturer your orthotist made contact with?

Perhaps if there was a group effort, we could get them to move on

this issue.

Daiga

> >

> > We have the large adjustable bar - I think it goes from 9 " to

14 " .

> > The problem is that Owen is not yet 2yrs and there's not a lot of

> > room left to adjust the bar to a wider width! With the red

> > adjustable bar, there are basically two bar pieces that overlap

in

> > the centre and fasten with clamps - to widen the bar, you loosen

> the

> > clamps and slide the two pieces out and then retighten the

clamps.

> > My question is, what happens when we can't slide the bars out any

> > further? Since the recommended age of FAB use has increased by a

> > couple of years, does anyone know if there is a larger bar

> available

> > or one in production that will be available to accomodate 3-4 yr

> olds

> > who use the FAB? Who should I contact to check up on this?

> >

> > Thanks,

> >

> > Daiga and Owen, 02/04/03

> > Unilateral LCF, FAB 14/24 (until age 4 as recommended by Dr.

Pirani)

>

>

>

>

>

>

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