Re: Advice for getting casts off intact?

[Guest guest]

--

If you're working with someone who has lots of experience using a cast saw,

there shouldn't be any issues related to its use. Save, perhaps, for the noise

and sensation. I know there are a few here who have stories of being " cut " by

the saw(really, it's more like a rug burn in most cases), but the technician

should not even be going through the padding.

We have saved each and every one of Jonah's casts(4 months with a local ortho

before we switched to the Ponsetti method). they are all intact, most of them

removed by my husband using a cast saw he borrowed(he was an ortho tech for

years). Does yout PT do cast removal? Your pediatrician? The best way to keep

them as intact as possible is to go al the way down each side so you end up with

a " front " cast and a " back " cast. You can gently pull the plaster off from the

padding, then remove the padding from around your baby's leg and foot.

We tried bandage scissors and tin snips a couple of times. The going was really

slow--so you'd have to have a pretty cooperative baby--and the casts not in

perfect shape at the end.

Maybe Dr Ponsetti would have some advice?

Is this some kind of AFO Devlin's wearing?

Best,

Naomi

The Family

Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, bilateral clubfoot, FAB 14/7)

Seel christine_seel@...> wrote:

Hi All,

We just returned from Iowa and Devlin had a tenotomy while we were

there. Dr. Ponseti wants her to go back into her custom-made splints

she's been using for a few months, but he wants our P.T. here to make

a new pair for when the casts come off in 3 weeks. He suggested that

she would be able to do the best job if she had the casts intact to

get the proper angles of dosiflexion, etc.

OK, great idea...but how to get the casts off intact? If we soak them

off like before, they lose their shape. Those of you who have had Dr.

Ponseti make your casts know how little padding there is underneath

the plaster---that makes me think a traditional plaster saw (like

Dupont used for Devlin's casts there) would be too dangerous.

Have any of you ever taken your baby's casts off in a way that leaves

them hard, yet is safe to do? Our appointment with the P.T. is on the

22nd so we have until then to figure this out. Any ideas anyone?

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

--

If you're working with someone who has lots of experience using a cast saw,

there shouldn't be any issues related to its use. Save, perhaps, for the noise

and sensation. I know there are a few here who have stories of being " cut " by

the saw(really, it's more like a rug burn in most cases), but the technician

should not even be going through the padding.

We have saved each and every one of Jonah's casts(4 months with a local ortho

before we switched to the Ponsetti method). they are all intact, most of them

removed by my husband using a cast saw he borrowed(he was an ortho tech for

years). Does yout PT do cast removal? Your pediatrician? The best way to keep

them as intact as possible is to go al the way down each side so you end up with

a " front " cast and a " back " cast. You can gently pull the plaster off from the

padding, then remove the padding from around your baby's leg and foot.

We tried bandage scissors and tin snips a couple of times. The going was really

slow--so you'd have to have a pretty cooperative baby--and the casts not in

perfect shape at the end.

Maybe Dr Ponsetti would have some advice?

Is this some kind of AFO Devlin's wearing?

Best,

Naomi

The Family

Naomi Hannah(02/21/01) Jonah(06/20/03, bilateral clubfoot, FAB 14/7)

Seel christine_seel@...> wrote:

Hi All,

We just returned from Iowa and Devlin had a tenotomy while we were

there. Dr. Ponseti wants her to go back into her custom-made splints

she's been using for a few months, but he wants our P.T. here to make

a new pair for when the casts come off in 3 weeks. He suggested that

she would be able to do the best job if she had the casts intact to

get the proper angles of dosiflexion, etc.

OK, great idea...but how to get the casts off intact? If we soak them

off like before, they lose their shape. Those of you who have had Dr.

Ponseti make your casts know how little padding there is underneath

the plaster---that makes me think a traditional plaster saw (like

Dupont used for Devlin's casts there) would be too dangerous.

Have any of you ever taken your baby's casts off in a way that leaves

them hard, yet is safe to do? Our appointment with the P.T. is on the

22nd so we have until then to figure this out. Any ideas anyone?

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Naomi,

Unfortunately, the PT is at duPont where I'm sure we'd get NO help

from the cast room taking some other doctor's casts off! They use a

ton of padding under the plaster there, so they probably wouldn't be

very good at taking Dr. Ponseti's casts off anyway. There are so many

reasons why I never want to walk into that area of the hospital

again...it was very hard for us to go back there at all, but the PT is

so good!

Yes, she's in a custom-made AFO type of thing. Devlin's feet never

had the aspect of the deformity that makes the feet bottoms turn

towards each other (I forget what that's called). Her feet were

trying very hard to go back into equinous (sp?). She was in

shoes for a while, but while we were waiting for a replacement from

(a strap broke), we made splints out of orhtoplast scraps and

(long story short) we ended up with a " professional version " made by

the PT at duPont, based on Dr. Ponseti's recommendations and our

primative prototypes. They have been working great for Devlin.

is working on making a stiffer-backed shoe for cases like

Devlin's. He did try extending the back for us but the material was

still too soft to hold her feet from pointing downward.

Long answer to your very short question!

Thanks for the advice about the cast removal.

>

> Hi All,

>

> We just returned from Iowa and Devlin had a tenotomy while we were

> there. Dr. Ponseti wants her to go back into her custom-made splints

> she's been using for a few months, but he wants our P.T. here to make

> a new pair for when the casts come off in 3 weeks. He suggested that

> she would be able to do the best job if she had the casts intact to

> get the proper angles of dosiflexion, etc.

>

> OK, great idea...but how to get the casts off intact? If we soak them

> off like before, they lose their shape. Those of you who have had Dr.

> Ponseti make your casts know how little padding there is underneath

> the plaster---that makes me think a traditional plaster saw (like

> Dupont used for Devlin's casts there) would be too dangerous.

>

> Have any of you ever taken your baby's casts off in a way that leaves

> them hard, yet is safe to do? Our appointment with the P.T. is on the

> 22nd so we have until then to figure this out. Any ideas anyone?

>

> Thanks!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

With Everett's last casts we soaked them, then cut a line down each side with

scissors as a saw would do. They were soggy of course but I was able to let

them dry and put them back together to keep.

s.

Advice for getting casts off intact?

Hi All,

We just returned from Iowa and Devlin had a tenotomy while we were

there. Dr. Ponseti wants her to go back into her custom-made splints

she's been using for a few months, but he wants our P.T. here to make

a new pair for when the casts come off in 3 weeks. He suggested that

she would be able to do the best job if she had the casts intact to

get the proper angles of dosiflexion, etc.

OK, great idea...but how to get the casts off intact? If we soak them

off like before, they lose their shape. Those of you who have had Dr.

Ponseti make your casts know how little padding there is underneath

the plaster---that makes me think a traditional plaster saw (like

Dupont used for Devlin's casts there) would be too dangerous.

Have any of you ever taken your baby's casts off in a way that leaves

them hard, yet is safe to do? Our appointment with the P.T. is on the

22nd so we have until then to figure this out. Any ideas anyone?

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

With Everett's last casts we soaked them, then cut a line down each side with

scissors as a saw would do. They were soggy of course but I was able to let

them dry and put them back together to keep.

s.

Advice for getting casts off intact?

Hi All,

We just returned from Iowa and Devlin had a tenotomy while we were

there. Dr. Ponseti wants her to go back into her custom-made splints

she's been using for a few months, but he wants our P.T. here to make

a new pair for when the casts come off in 3 weeks. He suggested that

she would be able to do the best job if she had the casts intact to

get the proper angles of dosiflexion, etc.

OK, great idea...but how to get the casts off intact? If we soak them

off like before, they lose their shape. Those of you who have had Dr.

Ponseti make your casts know how little padding there is underneath

the plaster---that makes me think a traditional plaster saw (like

Dupont used for Devlin's casts there) would be too dangerous.

Have any of you ever taken your baby's casts off in a way that leaves

them hard, yet is safe to do? Our appointment with the P.T. is on the

22nd so we have until then to figure this out. Any ideas anyone?

Thanks!