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Showing posts with the label AFOs

Bound to Do the Job

Every six months Ben is measured for new ankle foot orthotics - AFOs for short. The process can take 30-45 minutes depending on how wiggly Ben may be that day. On this day, Ben decided he was going to fight Steve, our long time orthotist, to the death. In the end, we won, but only because I realized we could lock Ben's foot down in his chair while Steve wrapped the other one. Ben lost leverage to push back and some dignity since he was beat. First, Steve put an open toed sock on Ben's foot. After the rubber yellow band was put in place the entire leg and foot, from the knee down, were wrapped in this very wet tape. Ben's foot remained in a specific position to get the correct cast. Once the wet tape dried in 5 minutes, Steve cut off the cast using a special scissor, running it down the rubber yellow band, so as not to cut Ben's leg. Here's Sean pulling out the sock that was underneath. It was not needed anymore. The final cast was a good one, d

AFOs or UFOs: What's the Difference?

AFOs - What are they? We have all seen UFOs - Unidentified Foot Objects - on children. What are they? What do they do? How can I get a pair? Ben wears AFOs - ankle foot orthotics - everyday. They give him stability because his calves, feet and ankles are weak. He has been wearing some type of brace since he was about 2 years old. It gives him the support he needs to walk with assistance. He does not seem to mind them and he makes it relatively easy for us to get them on and off. If they are made correctly and put on the right way, I do not think they cause him any discomfort. Saying that, I have seen him come home from school and camp with upside-down, backwards SMOs (supramalleolar orthosis) - never heard him complain then either. Lessons Learned Through insurance, we are able to get new AFOs every 6 months. Ben also has SMOs - and they too may be replaced every 6 months. I share this knowledge because I just learned it. I thought I had to alternate between the two and thi