Here come the KiddieGaits

Elena got a new pair of braces!

These are called KiddieGaits. They are new to us. Our orthotist thinks they will be great for Elena, b/c they are supposed to encourage a few things that her regular DAFOs do not:

1. Pressure is on the shin, encouraging a straight-leg posture (rather than a crouch, which is a problem for E)
2. While still a rigid brace, there is a little room for movement of the foot (a small amount of dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, inversion and eversion of the foot hopefully means a stronger ankle for Elena)
3. This brace is COOLER--not suffocating plastic
4. Elena can wear short socks!! (check out these pompoms!)



These are also in 'standard sizes', meaning that they are not custom-made. I assume this means they are cheaper to manufacture, and are more easily transferable/reusable for another child.

VID--FIRST WALK

Elena's reaction to them were that they felt "different" but she liked them. The weird feeling she got was due to the pressure on the shin. She did say immediately that they were cooler to wear (it was nearly 100 degrees outside). I noticed two things right away:

1. While her legs are definitely straighter, instead of crouching, she "bends over" at the waist slightly. My guess is this is b/c her hip flexors are tight? I figure with more experience in these braces, this will be less noticeable.

2. She stands more obviously on her dominant (left) leg, and positions herself with her right leg behind her (straight leg, but with only the right toe resting on the ground). We've seen this many a time with the DAFOs, but her weight-bearing preference is very apparent. I also think this will get better, but we'll have to work on it A LOT (weight bearing on the right). She can do it, but it's not her natural stance.