Go Plae Shoes another option for kiddos

Go Plae shoes are yet another option for kiddos that wear AFO’s or SMO’s.  The neat thing about these shoes is that they have extra depth and you can swap out the velcro straps for longer ones so the strap really connects to the other side. Check out their line of shoes at www.goplae.com .

Houdini Modification on Benik Handsplints

Have you ever had a child that is able to easily remove their Wrist Hand Finger Orthosis (WHFO)? Benik has a slick solution for this. They add an extra buckle similar to a backpack adjustment strap that makes it nearly impossible to take the WHFO off.

More Shoe Options for Pediatric AFO wearer’s…Cheap TOO!

I have found that the Garanimal shoes from Walmart are fantastic.  They are wide, have a removable insole, and are fairly stylish.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Garanimals-Infant-Boy-s-Casual-Shoes/22153360

Making a reinforced hole for a G-Tube for a TLSO body sock

Lately I have had a run on TLSO’s  for patients that have a G-tube.  Here is a little trick that I do with the body socks.  I take the silicone from Coyote Design and put a “blob” about the size of a 50 cent piece and then quickly use a rectangle of plastic and push the silicone into the sock.  I then use a half round punch to make a nice long oval hole.  Parents seem to really appreciate a hole that does not fray.

 

 

Interesting Shoe Modification…Cut the tongue out…Make a Mary Jane?

Here is a shoe modification that I found interesting and creative. Mom wanted a shoe that was semi-open for the summer and ended up finding a stylish pair of tennis shoes and cut the tongue out. The SureSteps go in the shoes easily and the shoes look cute.

Keeping Pace adds new shoes for children with AFO’s, SMO’s, and KAFO’s

Keeping Pace has added some new shoes to the line-up. Check out their sandal and Mary Jane style.

Custom Straps for AFOs or for Lanyards for a prosthesis

Here is the first try of a custom strap. Stay tuned for more information.

How put transfers onto straps for AFO’s, KAFO’s, Lanyards for an Above the Knee Prosthesis

There was a question posed on the orthotics and prosthetics forum a few weeks ago on how to transfer patterns to straps. The range of answers was anything from using an iron to using a t-shirt heat press. Well, deep in the lifEnabled proving grounds the answer of how to produce a crisp, clean, consistent image on a strap was achieved. We tried ironing and it “worked” but was quite inconsistent. I then ordered a t-shirt heat press from ProWorld Inc and found that it gave the sharpest and most consistent results. From now on if a patient wants a transfer the straps will match. If you do not want to buy a press you do have another option. Frank Hodges from Sunstone Lab will put together a strap kit for you. We are going to start experimenting with sublimation printing to see about creating custom transfers.

Component Review: Tamarack Flexure Joint Caps for Hinged AFO’s

Have you ever wanted to hinge a brace yet maybe not do it right away? Tamarack has come up with a pretty neat way to add Flexure Joints on the outside of an AFO.  The Tamarack Flexure Joint Caps also allow you to be a little more creative with an AFO designs. They have a few neat AFO designs on their blog and I have a couple pictures of what I have done with them. I think it is a neat idea and a very clean option for fabrication. I really like being able to have a very intimate fit around the malleoli yet have the articulation. Here is a dorsi-assist AFO that I did for a child with neuropathy.

Here is a picture of a unilateral upright dorsiflexion assist AFO.  The little girl I made this AFO for had a stroke but has gained a great deal of strength and now only needs a little boost for her dorsiflexors.  The AFO had to be pulled in two sections and joined with a chicago screw and then a Flexure Cap was placed right on top of the joint.  I have not fit it yet but it looks as though it will work.

Guest Post Review: John T. Brinkmann, CPO, LPO, FAAOP Coneiak Polishing Arbors from Fillauer for finishing AFO’s, Prosthetic Socket Edges, Foam, Thermoplastics

Thank you John for this post, you have peaked my curiosity on these Arbors.

There’s a good chance that deteriorating Tycro arbors have been the source of more conflict in PO labs than any other tool. (Except maybe Surforms…) I’ve witnessed ill-spirited accusations and subterfuge surrounding this ubiquitous tool, including people secretly hiding or marking cones to determine who is using them incorrectly. At the Academy meeting in March I stopped by the Fillauer booth and checked out their Coneiak Polishing Arbors. I was very skeptical about their effectiveness, because….well, they’re not Tycro. And I’ve always used a combination of Tycro buffing and flame polishing as the final step on any thermoformed device. Could it be possible that there was something else…perhaps even something better?

Because I have fascination with anything new, as well as great difficulty passing up an opportunity to buy more tools, I purchased the tapered red arbor. It sat unused above my router for six months. I just could not accept that the soft gel cone could polish an edge without completely deteriorating. A few weeks ago I finally decided to try the arbor, and found that it performed phenomenally. I finished polypropylene, co-poly, and polyethylene edges, as well as foam (STARband helmet lining) and laminated, thermo-set plastic. On the thermoformed plastics the arbor left a completely smooth, shiny surface. Better than my traditional Tycro/flame combo, and without the burn marks and melted edge common with flame finished edges. The arbor did not perform as well on foam (Starband helmet lining). It performed as well on the laminated material as the Tycro did, but on these types of edges I generally use 400 grit wet/dry sand paper for the final smoothing.

There was no observable marring or grooving in the material after the relatively short time I spent buffing. The Fillauer rep at the booth assured me that these arbors have extremely long life, and after my experience using them I’m inclined to believe him. These products are not inexpensive, but they are well worth the cost, in my opinion.