Leg brace for toe walkers

Iridescent - posted on 06/19/2011

We use AFO's, but they're quite expensive if paid out of pocket.

Sara - posted on 06/18/2011

My son has cerebral palsy and has been wearing leg braces since he was 2 years old. He started out with an AFO which stands for Ankle-Foot-Orthosis. There are different types. Her physical therapist and her orthpaedic doctor should tell you the specific type that she would require based on her individual needs. You could search the internet or ask her doctor for any recommendations. My son receives SSI (supplemental security income) which he gets because he is disabled and my income is within the limits. Through SSI, he also receives Medicaid. You might want to check with your county or state to find out what type of assistance they offer to children with special needs.

France - posted on 05/27/2011

My child wore brace almost all of her life. It does help a lot but you need to know what kind to use and it has to be mold especially for you. in Saskatchewan, Canada the govnt pays for it. I always give back the old braces for charity. Try to contact the Saskatchewan Abilities Council and see where they sent all that equipment.

Leslie - posted on 05/25/2011

What size foot? I didn't know they might refurb. My son was a size 13 and wore a size 1 shoe with the ago. One has batman on it and the other has superman. If I can help I will be happy to.

Leslie - posted on 05/25/2011

My son wore ago braces for a tight Achilles tendon and flat feet. I think they helped. Are they focusing in exercises to do as well. Good luck. They are very expensive.

Cindy - posted on 05/25/2011

Afo's or Dafo's depending how high on the heel cord she or he may be havng trouble with . My daughter still wears the afo's to support her ankles and flatten her feet i declinded on the shots but they found an orthopedic prostectics place out in Akron Ohio. That the Hopspital had information on. They are exspensive and maybe can help you financially or information for an orthotics place maybe the state can cover if she or he are special needs. Hope this helps they are just flat slip on braces with front strap like sandals. Hope any information is helpful

Autumn - posted on 05/24/2011

my son gets both the botox shots and he has his braces, he has the basic stiff afo's that have no joints or anything and just come up to under his knee on his shin.
I'm in Ontario, Canada and the government covered 75% of the cost and the other $2000 I got covered by a program called assitance for children with severe disabilities. I'm not sure if you would have a program that would help cover the cost but it is worth researching to see.
I got my sons at the orthopedic clinic, if there is one near you, you can call and see if they have any ideas of foundations ect that will help cover the costs. I'm not sure if you have easter seals in your area but they help with orthotics and such as well

Penny - posted on 05/24/2011

Hi Patrina,
My name is Penny my daughter Jazmin has hinged AFO's that the doctor's have her wearing cause she also walks on her toes due to tight heel cords we haven't had the botox injections but she did go through a series of castings before she got the hinged AFO's. We get our made through a local company called Yankee Medical here in Vermont.
I'm not sure if this helps but if you have any other questions about this let me know i can be found on yahoo as penelopelee4 or on facebook as Penny Anthony Tracy

Monique - posted on 05/24/2011

My son also wears leg braces for walking on his toes. He also has spasticity. He just got another set of braces. We live in ny and I too had a problem getting braces. I was able to get early intervention to pay for them. He has on set he has out grown and just sitting in the closet. He had them when he was two. I don't know the size of your child but if you can use them I can give them to you.

Cheryl - posted on 05/24/2011

My daughter started out with hinged AFO's, then went into SMO's, then arch supports and is now out of the braces completely. Our insurance did not cover the cost of them either. Are you set up with regional center services? I know for us, all I had to do was show our regional center a denial from our insurance carrier and they covered the total cost of the braces. Also, most states have special insurance for kiddos with special needs. Here in CA it's called CCS (California Children's Services) and they will usually cover costs too if the child has a qualifying diagnosis. If neither of those avenues work for you, try contacting Shriners Hospital or your local fraternal organizations (Masonic lodges, Lyons club, etc.) as they are usually very willing to help too if they can. Good luck!

Jennifer - posted on 05/24/2011

Hey there. My son has a brace. He started with a hinged AFO. And now he is down to an SMO. The braces are a lot yes. They are about 1500$ out of pocket. He also gets botox but I can tell you that botox joined with serial casting leads to the best results. Botox alone never helped my son enough. He gets serial casting 3 weeks after botox to stretch his achilles. The casting is a series of hard casts. They cast the foot in as much of an upward position as they can get. In a week or two the cast is removed and stretched up further and recasted. It is repeated as much as necessary and usually lasts between 4 to 6 weeks total. My son typically gets two castings and for 4 weeks total. 2 weeks per cast. It helps him tremendously. Before that he was still toe walking. Once they did casting he was able to drop his heel to the floor for the first time. He gets it every 6-12 months. Stretching properly routinly will lessen the amount of times botox and casting is needed. I can look and see if I can find his old AFO's. I also know a lot of moms who are always looking to donate their old AFO's. Can you ask your ortho if you were to get some donated ones if he could fit them to her cheaper?They are generally the same mold and have cushioning added to shape the foot. Maybe it will be cheaper for you to use a refurbished one. Let me know. My email is jcr7676@yahoo.com

Elizabeth - posted on 05/19/2011

oh wow my son needs the brace but we havent got them yet he needs them cause he walks on his tippy toes and i guess the brace suppose to force his foot flat so he could walk flat in stead if tippy toes

Iva - posted on 05/18/2011

my kids dont have the brace but my best friends kid does. i dont know much about them. but i can tell you they really help. sry i wish i knew more