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Stella Morris Managing Director
C-Pro Direct Ltd, Office Suite,
The Old Dairy Boulthurst Farm,
Pains Hill, Limpsfield, Surrey RH8 0RG
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Tips For Parents Using the Ponseti AFO Brace
To be read inconjunction with the leaflet accompanying the shoes
• The AFOs come preset at 60 degrees which is the same as 70 degrees
in the Markells. Your consultant will advise as necessary whether the
angles can be adjusted.
• When you first get the sandals, try and
treat them with a suede protector – helps with spills!
• You may find it helpful to dip the ends of the straps in varnish – it
hardens the suede and makes it easier to thread them through the buckle
• Children should always wear socks – ideally with rubber
wording underneath as this helps with grip, such as the socks from GAP
or the M & S Petit Babe range
• For younger children who sleep a lot, it may be helpful when
first using the AFO, to put it on whilst the child is asleep – this
helps you to get used to how they fit, and get the ‘knack’ of
fitting them when the legs are still!
• When fitting, lay the child on their back, or sitting with the
feet towards you
• If the feet have different levels of correction, fit the least
corrected one first
• It can be difficult to ‘slide’ the feet into the
shoes. So hold the foot on either side of the ankle, and place in to the
back of the shoe – as far back and down as you can get it. Hold
the foot in this position whilst doing the buckles up. If the foot moves,
then refit.
• Do the middle buckle first, followed by the top and bottom buckles
• Make sure there are no kinks in the leather.
• The middle strap is the most important strap – ensure this
is nice and tight
• Don’t expect the heel to always ‘come down’ right
from the start – in some cases it can take a number of weeks
• Ensure the length of the AFO (from middle screw to middle screw)
is the same width or slightly longer than the width of the shoulders
• If the degrees need to be adjusted, you need to remove the outer
screw, then the screw in the middle just needs to be loosened to turn
the dial, then depending on the angle you want, the screw needs to go
back into a hole which aligns with the angle (you'll see when you do it
for yourselves!)
• When putting the shoes on at bedtime, try and allow time for
the child to wear the shoes for a while before going to bed. This seems
to help children settle better than if the shoes are put on immediately
before getting into bed.
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