Getting New Braces - Not the kind for your Teeth!

Last week Adria got new braces. These are for her feet, not her teeth! We’ve often made reference to her braces and gotten confused looks as to why a 4-year-old would have braces. Then we chuckle and clarify that they are leg braces, more specifically AFOs – Ankle Foot Orthotics.

She wears orthotic braces, which are designed to correct and assist with bone, joint and muscle disorders, much like orthodontic braces are used to correct irregularities of the teeth.

 

Adria must wear them for walking support because she has very weak ankles and fairly severe outward pronation in her feet. She has progressed to be able to walk without them (Amazing!), but she is unstable and often falls.  She was fitted for her first pair at nine months old, long before she was walking, and typically gets a new pair once a year.

 

However, we got this new pair when her others were barely six months old.  That pair was just not working well for her. They were a SureStep brand AFO, but they were so thick and difficult to put on her and often caused her sores. She didn’t complain much because she has limited sensation in her lower legs, but no mommy wants to see her girl get blisters and open sores L

Her orthopedic doctor at A.I. DuPont Hospital recommended that she get a new pair of braces earlier than normal. Adria had been fitted for the previous braces at an orthotics center in Richmond, Va, since we lived there at that time. But now that we are back in Delaware, we returned to Lawall Orthotics & Prosthetics – the same place that fitted her for her first pair. We have found them to be a great group to work with, especially since they have locations right in A.I. DuPont Hospital and in Dover. Here’s their web link for more info: www.lawall.com

Lawall fit her for a new type of brace that she has not previously had called a DAFO –Dynamic Ankle Foot Orthotics. So far, we really like this Cascade DAFO brace as it has great padding, a little less plastic and much less stiffness.  Now, we officially know what a “potato chip” is in AFO terms – it’s a little extra pad shaped like a Pringle chip that goes on top of the foot between inside the brace.

Click her for more details about pronation and the DAFO brace: www.dafo.com

The DAFOs come with great color and pattern choices too, so Adria is proudly sporting her flower/lady bug braces with purple padding and pink straps!

Of course, with new braces comes a trip to the shoe store and the ever challenging task of finding shoes that are wide enough to fit securely around the AFO. This trip she walked out with a cute pair of size 9 pink Converse sneakers J

Adria making friends with "my size" manikin at the mall before buying new shoes.

 



Braces on the left are the new Cascade DAFOs, while the old SureStep are on the right.

Happy girl showing off her new DAFOs with pink Converse sneakers!