Children’s orthotics are specifically and well-designed to help children who have functional needs. There are custom-made orthotics for the young ones, and they are primarily designed to increase the provision of stability. With growth and progression through the orthotic treatment in the children redesigning of their prosthetics and pediatric orthotics is done to improve the independence and voluntary control of their movement.
Adult orthotics have a few differences from pediatric orthotics. One of the significant differences is that pediatric orthotics have to account for any form of growth. As we all know, children’s development is in spurts, and hence their designed orthotics have to have adjustments to cater for the growth.
Generally, growth has plus sides, raising a need for possible and significant correction on the issue treated. Continued orthotic accommodations cannot directly influence the development of the done or the fixed deformity. Hence, this increases the need to work with orthotics experts to have a clear understanding of pediatrics and toddler’s critical orthotics.
The common issues that need pediatric orthotics
There are very many conditions that need one to seek pediatric prosthetics and orthotic services for their child. The conditions commonly range from genetic disorders to foot issues that limit a child’s body’s ability to grow without orthotics support. Some of the common conditions requiring orthotic treatments are; foot pronation and supination, leg and foot spasticity, clubfoot, foot or ankle la-alignment, tibia torsion, severe metatarsus adductus, and hip dysplasia.
Solutions in orthotics for the young ones
There are no two orthotic issues that have the same exactness, and hence there are no entirely similar solutions. The pediatric orthotics for children are usually custom-made to fit into a child’s body. They also need to be custom-designed so that they fitfully accommodate the condition or conditions being treated.
For instance, when it comes to foot pronation and foot supination that need orthotic corrections in a child, it indicates that the child requires a shoe orthotic. Moreover, severe orthotic conditions cannot be corrected through a simple pair of pediatric shoes.
Severe conditions like leg or foot spasticity and hip dysplasia usually use comprehensive orthotic treatments. Some of the orthotic treatments are; Wheaton harness for hip dysplasia, AFO pediatric leg braces for kids to minimize the spasticity in the foot or leg, and Denis Browne bar hip dysplasia orthotics.
Ways of helping children adapt to their leg braces
1. Making the child feel relaxed
To many, this sounds so obvious to do but do not take it for granted. To put adults at ease, they only need to have friendly introductions, brief explanations of what is done in orthotics, and then get into the business of assessing and imaging all the prescribed types of braces. The simple introduction to the minors needs not to be rushed but taken slowly.
The way to pass information at a time depends on the minor’s age may require playing with them using toys and having conversations about what they love doing, like sports, and essentially you just try to find out things that you might have in common. If you can earn the minors’ trust early enough in the initial treatment process goes a long way in the other treatment sections, like helping them have minimal anxiety during the brazing process.
2. Involving the children in conversations with their guardians
Having active discussions between the child’s guardians and the orthotic practitioner is a valuable way of sourcing information. It brings about different perspectives of the minors’ needs when in indifferent environments like school and home at the community level. With all the relevant information from the collaborative treatment members, it helps focus on all the minor’s features.
It is also essential to include the child in the conversation to quickly confirm their inner feelings and provide answers to questions they have regardless of the question magnitude or out-of-topic queries. Children at a very young age need to be included in making choices that regard their healthcare—some of the information detailing includes; the brace designs like the ones with color and fun graphics.
3. Give a child a simple distraction to minimize anxiety levels
Distracting children does not require a lot of effort. It could be simple things like toys and computers and playing their favorite television channels and cartoon shows. It will keep the child actively occupied while you work on the treatment procedures. It is also essential to show the child images of children wearing similar braces, not to feel like they are the only ones in such conditions.
In conclusion, when implementing the orthostatic treatment plan, include color, graphics and involve the child in selecting their taste. Actively involve all parties in the treatment procedures, like the guardians, medical specialists, and the child.
