subject: Why Is It Important For Your Child To Wear A Brace For Clubfoot? [print this page] If your child has been treated by the Ponseti method for clubfoot, it is likely that she or he will need to wear a foot abduction brace after their castings are complete. This brace keeps the clubfoot in its corrected position, preventing a relapse.
The brace is used only after the clubfoot has been completely fixed by manipulation, serial casting and a possible tenotomy. The brace is effective in 95% of the patients. Parents will be relieved to know that 'bracing' will not cause developmental problems for their child.
Relapses are common among children with clubfoot, up to the age of six years. That's why bracing is an important part of the treatment of clubfoot and prevents relapses. You don't want to go back to square one.
Whether your child had a severe clubfoot at birth or a clubfoot that wasn't extreme, he or she is at equal risk of the their clubfoot going back to its deformed position, if the a clubfoot brace isn't worn exactly as a foot doctor recommends.
Bracing hours will be different for each child. For example, bracing might be longer for a newborn whose clubfoot was corrected in three weeks instead of an older child that is already walking.
A foot abduction brace in an adjustable aluminum bar with adjustable footplates where the child-size shoes attach. You want an adjustable bar because your child will quickly outgrow a fixed length bar.
Usually, the shoes on the brace are set at the same angle as the last cast that was applied by your child's foot doctor, otherwise the brace mayl be uncomfortable for your child.
Most importantly, the distance between the heels of the shoes should be equal to your child's shoulder width. This distance is the most comfortable for your child and prevents knee or hip problems.
If you lay the brace on the floor with the shoes facing upward, your child's shoulders should fit snugly in between the shoes. Children go through major growth spurts, so if your child is waking and fussing, you should check the length of the brace to see if an adjustment needs to be made.
If this all sounds complicated, rest assured it is actually quite easy. An experienced foot doctor who specializes in the Ponseti Method for clubfoot will be able to guide you through 'bracing' so that your child has a full-recovery from clubfoot.
If your baby has clubfoot, you should seek a qualified clubfoot doctor who is trained in the Ponseti Method of clubfoot correction.
