Here's a quick photo-recap of our clubfeet journey thus far.
6 days old, before beginning serial casting.
Ponsetti casting is the most well-known & effective non-surgical method of treating clubfeet.
Dr. Ponsetti came up with a particular method & sequence for repositioning/stretching a clubfoot.
Here he is after his first casting... broke my heart.
5 months of casting. New cast every 10 days.
A baby with casts from toes to thighs... it was not fun... but we got through it.
I honestly don't think we got real "Ponsetti" casting.
I didn't know any better back then. I would have searched out a specialist.
Josiah often kicked his cast down out of position. It even came all the way off more than once. :/
After 5 months of casting, we got his feet to this:
They were relatively straight (pointing forward) but not able to flex up right. The casting became ineffective because Josiah started kicking and wiggling his casts out of place. Dr. Hohl (and a second opinion doctor) came to the conclusion that surgery was necessary.
In September, when he was 6 months old, Josiah had surgery.
He had a Posteromedial Release on both feet.
3 weeks post-op Josiah actually kicked off his surgical cast.
I was very upset. A pin through is big toe also came out 3 weeks post op.
A new cast was put on in the doctor's office. Surely he could not make sure it was the same correction achieved during surgery. It was painful for Josiah to be re-casted like that so soon after surgery. (I should have found a new doctor then! Hind sight....)
The other pin was removed, staples removed & casts changed under anesthesia 6 weeks later. New casts were put on.
On December 9th, when he was 9 months old, the casts were removed for good.
His feet were perfect. We praised the Lord:
To help maintain correction, we used a Dennis Brown bar at night to turn his feet out...
... and Ankle-Foot-Orthotics.
At 2 years old, he got ones that went inside big ugly orthotic shoes.
At 4 years post-op. Josiah's feet were still remarkably better than where we started; however, like I've discussed in previous blogs, his feet still turn in, especially the left.
After several different opinions (read the whole story here), we finally decided to go with Dr. Nelson & the Taylor Spatial Frame (which is what this blog is all about!)
Here are Josiah's feet the week before surgery (June 17, 2011)6 days old, before beginning serial casting.
Ponsetti casting is the most well-known & effective non-surgical method of treating clubfeet.
Dr. Ponsetti came up with a particular method & sequence for repositioning/stretching a clubfoot.
Here he is after his first casting... broke my heart.
5 months of casting. New cast every 10 days.
A baby with casts from toes to thighs... it was not fun... but we got through it.
I honestly don't think we got real "Ponsetti" casting.
I didn't know any better back then. I would have searched out a specialist.
Josiah often kicked his cast down out of position. It even came all the way off more than once. :/
After 5 months of casting, we got his feet to this:
They were relatively straight (pointing forward) but not able to flex up right. The casting became ineffective because Josiah started kicking and wiggling his casts out of place. Dr. Hohl (and a second opinion doctor) came to the conclusion that surgery was necessary.
In September, when he was 6 months old, Josiah had surgery.
He had a Posteromedial Release on both feet.
3 weeks post-op Josiah actually kicked off his surgical cast.
I was very upset. A pin through is big toe also came out 3 weeks post op.
A new cast was put on in the doctor's office. Surely he could not make sure it was the same correction achieved during surgery. It was painful for Josiah to be re-casted like that so soon after surgery. (I should have found a new doctor then! Hind sight....)
The other pin was removed, staples removed & casts changed under anesthesia 6 weeks later. New casts were put on.
On December 9th, when he was 9 months old, the casts were removed for good.His feet were perfect. We praised the Lord:
To help maintain correction, we used a Dennis Brown bar at night to turn his feet out...
... and Ankle-Foot-Orthotics.
At 2 years old, he got ones that went inside big ugly orthotic shoes.At 4 years post-op. Josiah's feet were still remarkably better than where we started; however, like I've discussed in previous blogs, his feet still turn in, especially the left.
After several different opinions (read the whole story here), we finally decided to go with Dr. Nelson & the Taylor Spatial Frame (which is what this blog is all about!)
June 27th, Day 6.
(It is amazing how much straighter the foot is even just by pinning it in place in surgery).
(It is amazing how much straighter the foot is even just by pinning it in place in surgery).
July 11, 2011 (Day 20)
July 25th (Day 34) Complication: due to the last 2 metatarsals not being secured, the outside of the foot started to twist under as it is pushed over. Surgery was needed to re-pin (or as I like to say "skewer") the bones better.
July 27th (Day 37)- Post-op. Foot is flat & much more secured with repositioned pins through metatarsals & another new pin towards heel.
July 31st (Day 40)
Lookin' straight! Done with our 1st prescription that brought the foot "over" to the left.
July 31st (Day 40)
Lookin' straight! Done with our 1st prescription that brought the foot "over" to the left.
.
You can see the foot is pointing "down" (like tippy toes if he was standing). Now we are going to start bringing it "up" toward the body, which is called "dorsal flexion." That bottom (black) halo/ring is going to start angling so that the top is closer to the shin as we turn the struts (the up & down "poles").
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