Re: Putting on the shoes

[Guest guest]

I haven't been reading all of the posts, due to a lack of time, so maybe I

have missed some of what is going on.

I just want to say that I am concerned that the shoe keeps coming off. When

Kaitlin got her s, made them more than a size too big for her so

that they would last a long time. So big, that her toes did not even

completely reach the bottom straps...her shoes never came off, not even once.

I don't know what everyone else has suggested the problem may be, but I would

question if it could possibly be the width of his foot or something. If the

top strap is tight enough then it doesn't seem possible to me that the shoes

could come off (unless his feet are made of silly putty:-). Is his foot

completely out of the shoe altogether?? I am really stumped, but trying to

help. I

just can't imagine it, although I believe you 100%.

I don't think the problem is the heels not going back. that is normal,

kaitlin's still haven't completely filled out the heel part, I believe that was

intentionally done by to prevent pressure sores.

When you put the shoes on, is the yellow flap that goes vertical in the back

of the heel completely flat? the only thing I can come up with is that maybe

it is bent forward when you buckle the shoe, which could possibly make it seem

like you are putting them on tight at the time. Then if Tommy wiggles his

foot and straightens the piece out, the shoes are suddenly loose enough to

wiggle out of. I am not sure if that is possible, but I know that sometimes,

Kaitlin's rubber piece would get bent inward with all of the wiggling with

trying

to put them on. It seems like that could possibly happen. I hope that

description makes sense.

Also, it did take 2 of us to put them on at first because we werent' used to

doing it. One to distract/hold and one to concentrate on getting them on.

Have you talked to about this?

Keep us informed!

Freeman

[Guest guest]

Hi

Our son (5mths)has been in the s for about 5 weeks

now. At first, we found it difficult to get them on, but through

trial and error, we have just about got it sussed now.

never stays still, so for the first 2-3 weeks I timed it so

that his 'free' time was before bed. He'd play for a bit, have a

bath and then I would feed him and he would fall asleep. I then laid

him on the bed, with his feet at the edge and me kneeling on the

floor in front of him and then put his sandals on while he was

asleep and relaxed. I had to go easy and slowly and sometimes he'd

fidget a bit, but it worked. It helped me to get used to them and

work out the best way to put them on.

I have tried putting the mitchells on whilst is on my lap

but it has never worked. I always lay him down either on the bed, a

changing mat or the settee. He needs to be as calm as possible, so

we have distracted him with the TV, singing, soother, someone else

playing with the 'top end' - anything to stop him taking notice of

what is going on with his feet!

As for putting them on, I find it easier to have his leg fairly

straight, slide one foot in as far as possible, and whilst holding

it in this position (ie. holding the back of the leg against the

yellow bit at the back - this is really important - if I let go,

then I may as well start again), bend his leg so that the sole of

the sandal is flat on the surface.Not letting go of this position, I

put my finger and thumb (other hand now!)on either side of his ankle

and try and gently try and wiggle his foot back a bit more. Whenever

I'm happy with the position, I smooth the flap over his ankle and

hold it really firmly. Whatever happens now, I don't let go of the

flap(keep it tight) and continue holding the back of his leg against

the yellow plastic. Then I do the middle buckle up nice and tight.

Once this is done, I do the top one and then the bottom one.

Then I do the other foot the same way. has one foot worse

than the other, so I always do the difficult one first. I then check

all the buckles to make sure there are no kinks in the material, and

all the buckles are nice and tight. Often, after being out of the

shoes, 's feet are really warm and a bit swollen due to the

increased circulation. although I do the buckles tight, if I check

them an hour later, I can sometimes get the them a bit tighter.

's feet have never come out of the sandals, but they have

slipped a very small amount occasionally. If I notice any slippage,

I always take them off and put them back on again. I'm paranoid

about him getting blisters/sores so always try and ensure the

sandals are on correctly and nice and tight.

's heels couldn't be seen when we first put the sandals on,

but now the left one goes in very easily. The right is more

difficult but the heel is probably 3/4 of the way down now which is

promising!

This is just our experience - hopefully some of it will be helpful!

Good luck,

Stella

>

> As most of you know we have been having problems with the

s

> slipping off. Although better, we still have issues with the left

> falling off. After 7 weeks of full time wear I still am worried

that

> his heels are not down enough. Some of you suggested bending the

> knee when putting them on. Do you do this with the baby on your

lap

> or laying in front of you? I have tried both ways and he seems to

> squirm or roll over before I can get the straps buckled. The usual

> way I do it is with him on my lap and I push his foot back as far

as

> it will go and then dorsiflex the foot as I do the straps. I

tighten

> as much as I can but sometimes it is off in a few hours. When I

try

> this while bending the knee it just seems like I am at a bad angle

> and can't get the straps done quickly enough. Are we talking a 2

man

> operation here?

>

> Thanks in advance,

>

> Tommy Lee 4/23/04...Mommy is entering me a Strongman competition,

> where I will have to pull a car with my two front teeth and

Houdini

> my way out of these darn shoes.

[Guest guest]

We too had most of the problems with the left, we actually made a few

more holes in the top strap. Dr. Ponseti had told us in the beginning

of shoe wear it was a 2 man job to get them on correctly. If you can,

have your husband help, otherwise, I would try finding a special toy

or something to eat while you are holding him to get him to stay still

for a little bit...we had problems too and then found out had

relapsed. His feet hurt and so he didn't want to allow me to get them

in all the way. Is Tommy Lee in physical therapy at all? Have the

physical therapist look at his feet.

I really would recommend taking pictures and sending them to your dr.

and then stretching his feet pretty hard in the off time. Or if you

live close enough, getting in to have him look at them. Just to be safe.

Lord bless you both!

>

> As most of you know we have been having problems with the s

> slipping off. Although better, we still have issues with the left

> falling off. After 7 weeks of full time wear I still am worried that

> his heels are not down enough. Some of you suggested bending the

> knee when putting them on. Do you do this with the baby on your lap

> or laying in front of you? I have tried both ways and he seems to

> squirm or roll over before I can get the straps buckled. The usual

> way I do it is with him on my lap and I push his foot back as far as

> it will go and then dorsiflex the foot as I do the straps. I tighten

> as much as I can but sometimes it is off in a few hours. When I try

> this while bending the knee it just seems like I am at a bad angle

> and can't get the straps done quickly enough. Are we talking a 2 man

> operation here?

>

> Thanks in advance,

>

> Tommy Lee 4/23/04...Mommy is entering me a Strongman competition,

> where I will have to pull a car with my two front teeth and Houdini

> my way out of these darn shoes.

[Guest guest]

Hello .

Sometimes it takes 2 of us to get 's shoes on. She is a squirmy

squirm squirm! She will roll over 3 times while I try to get the shoes

on, so hubby has to help hold her and hold her foot/leg still. It has

become a horrible experience and I hate putting the shoes back on. It

almost takes 20 minutes. We do not have the issue of them coming off

though. My only suggestion, which I'm sure you already do, is make them

super, super tight. Have you tried extra thick socks?

I hope this helps. Keep us posted.

Shook

Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

Vienna, VA 22182

x374

x374

fax

[Guest guest]

Also, have any of you who use the s had issues with the tongue

bunching up? I will lay it flat but as soon as I get the strap super

tight, the tongue bunches up. I know this is uncomfortable for , so

I will start over. But the same thing happens every time. This didn't

happen with her previous pair, but this pair the tongue just won't

cooperate! Any suggestions?

Shook

Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

Vienna, VA 22182

x374

x374

fax

[Guest guest]

I wanted to add too that we had problems with the width as well. Once

we got the bigger shoe and then figured out to add holes to top strap,

they stayed on pretty well, but by then he had relapsed. I strongly

recommend checking the size and then taking pictures or getting him to

the dr. to make sure he hasn't had a relapse and that's why the shoe

is just not staying on.

> >

> > As most of you know we have been having problems with the s

> > slipping off. Although better, we still have issues with the left

> > falling off. After 7 weeks of full time wear I still am worried that

> > his heels are not down enough. Some of you suggested bending the

> > knee when putting them on. Do you do this with the baby on your lap

> > or laying in front of you? I have tried both ways and he seems to

> > squirm or roll over before I can get the straps buckled. The usual

> > way I do it is with him on my lap and I push his foot back as far as

> > it will go and then dorsiflex the foot as I do the straps. I tighten

> > as much as I can but sometimes it is off in a few hours. When I try

> > this while bending the knee it just seems like I am at a bad angle

> > and can't get the straps done quickly enough. Are we talking a 2 man

> > operation here?

> >

> > Thanks in advance,

> >

> > Tommy Lee 4/23/04...Mommy is entering me a Strongman competition,

> > where I will have to pull a car with my two front teeth and Houdini

> > my way out of these darn shoes.

[Guest guest]

We never had the shoes, but we had the straight flat bar

first and that was a nightmare to keep on until we got the red

angled bar from the U of I. From what I have read on this board, I

haven't heard of anyone doing it this way, but maybe I just missed

it. I marked on the screws on the bottom, the exact mark where they

should line up. Then I unscrewed the right one (Emma's worse foot

was the right) and put that on like a regular shoe. She would lay

in front of me. Then I would put the other on (leaving it attached

to the bar). Then put the screw in and line it up and screw it in

tight. I used the little wrench thing sent with the shoes until I

lost it, then I just used a regular flathead screw driver. I always

felt like I was getting the foot in more securely this way.

Everyone else (my husband & my girlfriend who watched the baby for

several months during full-bar time) always thought it was more

complicated and hard to do it my way. But let me tell you, I was

the only one the shoes would stay on for! :-) Emma still wears her

bar at night, and it's gotten to be such a routine that she asks for

her " ni-night " shoes after bath and pj's. She's 2 now. We had a

set back with that first bar, it put us that far behind in

treatment. Plus her feet were pretty bad to begin with, and we had

cast after cast, and shoes, and this fall she had the ATTT on her

right foot. She has always had something on those tootsies, she is

so used to it. Once you get into a routine and the baby gets older,

it will get easier, I promise! :-) Emma is so still for me now that

I don't even unattach the right shoe any longer. As far as a " 2 man

job " , I admit that there were many times in the beginning where I

had to wrap my leg around hers (with her laying in front of me) so

my leg was pretty much on top of her, to deter the kicking. Plus

that helped her to not whip her leg up and hit herself in the head,

which she did do a couple of times, poor thing! :-(

Hope some of this helps for you, like I said, we had the regular

shoes, not the mitchell's so hopefully it may work with those as

well!

Good Luck and Have a Happy New Year!

www.pediatric-orthopedic-foundation.org

>

> As most of you know we have been having problems with the

s

> slipping off. Although better, we still have issues with the left

> falling off. After 7 weeks of full time wear I still am worried

that

> his heels are not down enough. Some of you suggested bending the

> knee when putting them on. Do you do this with the baby on your

lap

> or laying in front of you? I have tried both ways and he seems to

> squirm or roll over before I can get the straps buckled. The usual

> way I do it is with him on my lap and I push his foot back as far

as

> it will go and then dorsiflex the foot as I do the straps. I

tighten

> as much as I can but sometimes it is off in a few hours. When I

try

> this while bending the knee it just seems like I am at a bad angle

> and can't get the straps done quickly enough. Are we talking a 2

man

> operation here?

>

> Thanks in advance,

>

> Tommy Lee 4/23/04...Mommy is entering me a Strongman competition,

> where I will have to pull a car with my two front teeth and

Houdini

> my way out of these darn shoes.

[Guest guest]

If the 's are similar to the regular shoes, just take the

toungue out. Our doctor told us that it didn't matter if it was in

or not, and if taking it out helped the shoe stay on, then go for

it! So it shouldn't hinder anything as far as treatment goes, if

you just took it out for comfort's sake. The flat bar we had in the

beginning took us through so much trial and error! Life was so much

better once we got the red angled bar. I don't know, you might try

it for a couple days to see if that helps. Good Luck!

:-)

www.pediatric-orthopedic-foundation.org

> Also, have any of you who use the s had issues with the

tongue

> bunching up? I will lay it flat but as soon as I get the strap

super

> tight, the tongue bunches up. I know this is uncomfortable for

, so

> I will start over. But the same thing happens every time. This

didn't

> happen with her previous pair, but this pair the tongue just won't

> cooperate! Any suggestions?

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Shook

> Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

> Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

> 2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

> Vienna, VA 22182

> x374

> x374

> fax

>

>

[Guest guest]

My is doing the same thing and we have been in these shoes since

October. I figured it out last night. It needs to be a 2 person operation. My

husband holds the bottom of the shoe with one hand the the other holds the knee

bent. Then I make sure the toes are set and tighten those buggers the best I

can. And has not slipped at all since last night.

giannasmommy2002 nannylulu@...> wrote:

As most of you know we have been having problems with the s

slipping off. Although better, we still have issues with the left

falling off. After 7 weeks of full time wear I still am worried that

his heels are not down enough. Some of you suggested bending the

knee when putting them on. Do you do this with the baby on your lap

or laying in front of you? I have tried both ways and he seems to

squirm or roll over before I can get the straps buckled. The usual

way I do it is with him on my lap and I push his foot back as far as

it will go and then dorsiflex the foot as I do the straps. I tighten

as much as I can but sometimes it is off in a few hours. When I try

this while bending the knee it just seems like I am at a bad angle

and can't get the straps done quickly enough. Are we talking a 2 man

operation here?

Thanks in advance,

Tommy Lee 4/23/04...Mommy is entering me a Strongman competition,

where I will have to pull a car with my two front teeth and Houdini

my way out of these darn shoes.

[Guest guest]

Maybe you could trim the excess tongue. I did that on my first pair and it

helped.

Also, have any of you who use the s had issues with the tongue

bunching up? I will lay it flat but as soon as I get the strap super

tight, the tongue bunches up. I know this is uncomfortable for , so

I will start over. But the same thing happens every time. This didn't

happen with her previous pair, but this pair the tongue just won't

cooperate! Any suggestions?

Shook

Retail Operations Manager/Baking Instructor

Vie de France Yamazaki, Inc.

2070 Chain Bridge Rd. Suite 500

Vienna, VA 22182

x374

x374

fax

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Yes it does make sense about the rubber piece telescoping down. Be sure to

check the leather that goes around the back of it, sometimes I have noticed

that it slides upwards and that pulls the rubber piece down and in. I am sorry

to

hear about the blister. We always give the rubber piece a little tug up to

make sure it is in the right place after putting the shoes on.

Just curious, why did Dr. Ponseti say to reduce the angle? Are his feet all

the way corrected? Is the angle going to stay at 40 for the rest of the time?

Yeah, the top strap does squish the calf, kind of like the casts used to. I

remember I could always see where Kaitlin's leg had grown around the

compression of the cast in between changings. It was the same way around her

ankles

when she wore the s 24/7, but it has leveled out now. I don't think it

is uncomfortable to them though.

So you are so pathetic that when you watched What not to Wear and couldn't

quit checking out my baby's feet?? LOL. I am just kidding with you. I would

probably have done the same if it were someone elses clubfoot baby on tv... I

don't think you were the only one who did that! I know I can barely take my

eyes

off of her feet everytime she stands up..

Someone (cant remember who)said her feet didnt look completely corrected on

the show. So little old obsesive me went back and watched the whole episode

again fast forwarding to shots of her/her feet, just trying to see what made

them

think that...talk about pathetic...she was sitting right next to me (feet and

all) and there I was watching tv just to look at her feet!!

Freeman

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I have actually talked to Dr. Ponseti about this and after reviewing

the pictures I sent he had me change the angle on the shoes to 40

degrees instead of 70 degrees. It has been better since then but not

perfect. That rubber yellow piece in the back of the shoe seems to

almost telescope down when the shoes are on...does that make sense?

And I think it is causing a blister on his right foot. I have a band

aid on it know. I don't think they are too big as his toes are about

an inch past the first toe strap. I guess I will try to tighten the

top strap some more. I guess that is the one I am worried about

doing too tight as it seems to really squish his leg. The middle

strap to get the foot down if defintely as tight as it will go.

Thanks for the advise.

P.S.: I am so obsessed with feet that when I watched your " What not

to wear " I was only lookin for and at Kaitlins feet everytime she was

on screen! I am pathetic.

> I haven't been reading all of the posts, due to a lack of time, so

maybe I

> have missed some of what is going on.

>

> I just want to say that I am concerned that the shoe keeps coming

off. When

> Kaitlin got her s, made them more than a size too big

for her so

> that they would last a long time. So big, that her toes did not

even

> completely reach the bottom straps...her shoes never came off, not

even once.

> I don't know what everyone else has suggested the problem may be,

but I would

> question if it could possibly be the width of his foot or

something. If the

> top strap is tight enough then it doesn't seem possible to me that

the shoes

> could come off (unless his feet are made of silly putty:-). Is his

foot

> completely out of the shoe altogether?? I am really stumped, but

trying to help. I

> just can't imagine it, although I believe you 100%.

> I don't think the problem is the heels not going back. that is

normal,

> kaitlin's still haven't completely filled out the heel part, I

believe that was

> intentionally done by to prevent pressure sores.

> When you put the shoes on, is the yellow flap that goes vertical in

the back

> of the heel completely flat? the only thing I can come up with is

that maybe

> it is bent forward when you buckle the shoe, which could possibly

make it seem

> like you are putting them on tight at the time. Then if Tommy

wiggles his

> foot and straightens the piece out, the shoes are suddenly loose

enough to

> wiggle out of. I am not sure if that is possible, but I know that

sometimes,

> Kaitlin's rubber piece would get bent inward with all of the

wiggling with trying

> to put them on. It seems like that could possibly happen. I hope

that

> description makes sense.

> Also, it did take 2 of us to put them on at first because we

werent' used to

> doing it. One to distract/hold and one to concentrate on getting

them on.

>

> Have you talked to about this?

>

> Keep us informed!

> Freeman

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

I was able to get the top straps two more holes tighter after fixing

his scrunched sock and the little tongue piece by the top strap. So

hopefully that was the problem. His little fat calf is ballooning

over the top but he doesn't seem uncomfortable.

Thanks,

> I haven't been reading all of the posts, due to a lack of time, so

maybe I

> have missed some of what is going on.

>

> I just want to say that I am concerned that the shoe keeps coming

off. When

> Kaitlin got her s, made them more than a size too big

for her so

> that they would last a long time. So big, that her toes did not

even

> completely reach the bottom straps...her shoes never came off, not

even once.

> I don't know what everyone else has suggested the problem may be,

but I would

> question if it could possibly be the width of his foot or

something. If the

> top strap is tight enough then it doesn't seem possible to me that

the shoes

> could come off (unless his feet are made of silly putty:-). Is his

foot

> completely out of the shoe altogether?? I am really stumped, but

trying to help. I

> just can't imagine it, although I believe you 100%.

> I don't think the problem is the heels not going back. that is

normal,

> kaitlin's still haven't completely filled out the heel part, I

believe that was

> intentionally done by to prevent pressure sores.

> When you put the shoes on, is the yellow flap that goes vertical in

the back

> of the heel completely flat? the only thing I can come up with is

that maybe

> it is bent forward when you buckle the shoe, which could possibly

make it seem

> like you are putting them on tight at the time. Then if Tommy

wiggles his

> foot and straightens the piece out, the shoes are suddenly loose

enough to

> wiggle out of. I am not sure if that is possible, but I know that

sometimes,

> Kaitlin's rubber piece would get bent inward with all of the

wiggling with trying

> to put them on. It seems like that could possibly happen. I hope

that

> description makes sense.

> Also, it did take 2 of us to put them on at first because we

werent' used to

> doing it. One to distract/hold and one to concentrate on getting

them on.

>

> Have you talked to about this?

>

> Keep us informed!

> Freeman

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

IFrom what I have heard Dr. Ponseti sets the angle different on each

case. Tommy has an atypical severe clubfoot deformity so he said 40-

50 degrees would be best for him. He said the feet were fully

corrected but was a little concerned about his dorsiflexion and

thought he might need another cast or to to increase it. But when I

took the photos of his feet I thought I was pushing up as far as I

could go and his foot went to about neutral in the pictures. But

when he went for his check up on Dec16th with Dr. Herzenberg he

really got those feet up and dorsiflexed. I think I was being to

gentle and he was crying when I did it so I didn't push as hard as I

could have. Any way Dr. Herzenberg was very happy with his

feet...said they looked beautiful. He gave us the credit as when the

shoes were first on they were falling off or slipping well over a

dozen times a day. I had callouses on both my index fingers from

reapplying them and trying to get them tight enough. At one point my

fingers were bleeding! I guess some parents wouldn't have been as

diligent but I can't imagine giving up.

Well these shoes have not moved an inch in the last few hours so

hopefully the top strap was the problem. I let you know if he wakes

up chewing on his sock waving his bare foot in the air like usual.

Tommy Lee 4/23/04

> Hi ,

> Yes it does make sense about the rubber piece telescoping down. Be

sure to

> check the leather that goes around the back of it, sometimes I have

noticed

> that it slides upwards and that pulls the rubber piece down and in.

I am sorry to

> hear about the blister. We always give the rubber piece a little

tug up to

> make sure it is in the right place after putting the shoes on.

> Just curious, why did Dr. Ponseti say to reduce the angle? Are his

feet all

> the way corrected? Is the angle going to stay at 40 for the rest of

the time?

>

> Yeah, the top strap does squish the calf, kind of like the casts

used to. I

> remember I could always see where Kaitlin's leg had grown around

the

> compression of the cast in between changings. It was the same way

around her ankles

> when she wore the s 24/7, but it has leveled out now. I

don't think it

> is uncomfortable to them though.

>

> So you are so pathetic that when you watched What not to Wear and

couldn't

> quit checking out my baby's feet?? LOL. I am just kidding with

you. I would

> probably have done the same if it were someone elses clubfoot baby

on tv... I

> don't think you were the only one who did that! I know I can

barely take my eyes

> off of her feet everytime she stands up..

> Someone (cant remember who)said her feet didnt look completely

corrected on

> the show. So little old obsesive me went back and watched the whole

episode

> again fast forwarding to shots of her/her feet, just trying to see

what made them

> think that...talk about pathetic...she was sitting right next to me

(feet and

> all) and there I was watching tv just to look at her feet!!

>

> Freeman

>

>

>