AFOs

Ankle Foot Orthotics are custom made to fit the patient's foot and leg. It is painless - just a bit of sitting tight and waiting for the the orthotist to work his magic. Ben's orthotist, Steve, has been fitting Ben for at least six years. When he moved companies, we moved with him. Steve is a great guy - patient, quick and personable. Ben likes him a lot.

This is the process for the fitting:

A sock like cloth is first put on Ben's foot. Its purpose is to protect Ben's leg. Ben hates having his pants up,
so he fights us by trying to pull his pants back down.

Next, Steve wraps Ben's leg with a tape material, that is wet and will harden quickly over the sock. The yellow plastic guide comes in handy later when the cast is cut off.

The entire leg and foot get wrapped tightly to later be used as a form for the orthotic.

The plaster needs a few minutes to set, but then, Steve can start cutting.

Steve uses a scissor type tool to cut the cast along the yellow plastic guide.

Finally, the cast is cut and the yellow guide is pulled out.

Cast is pulled off the foot and then sent to a laboratory to be used as a form for a real plastic ankle foot orthotic. This post will show the results.