miles
New Member
Posts: 15
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Post by miles on Feb 1, 2022 15:16:19 GMT
RK52. Like you I remember 'special schools' There were special buses to collect the children. There were also special schools for disabled children in West Africa when I lived there. This was in the 1980s and most of the children had had polio. The schools also provided medical support and braces. The attached picture shows some boys playing football in the school. The braces were locally made and usually they were without knee hinges so the legs were held rigid as the picture shows. These children seemed unfailingly cheerful, though life cannot have been easy as many of the facilities available in the developed world were not available.<button disabled="" class="c-attachment-insert--linked o-btn--sm">Attachment Deleted</button> Hi. I have joined this site recently. My interest in all this goes back to early days in grammar school well over 50 years ago. There was a kid there who had what I now understand to be a patten end brace, with a rocker on the other foot. He was fiercely independent and didn't want any help but would sometimes grab ones coat-tails to get up steps! I have been fascinated by braces, and other medical equipment ever since. I always wear trouser braces and am now gearing up to get my own Kafo.
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miles
New Member
Posts: 15
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Post by miles on Feb 5, 2022 18:46:27 GMT
<button disabled="" class="c-attachment-insert--linked o-btn--sm">Attachment Deleted</button> This is what I would like I'd be happy enough with your braces Dave - boots or shoes?
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Post by dave63uk on Feb 6, 2022 17:33:32 GMT
Mainly boots
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Post by Lakebum on Nov 19, 2022 19:54:56 GMT
I can’t decide between an old school millwaukee brace with shoulder and rib pads or a halo brace
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Post by milkid on Feb 13, 2023 14:33:55 GMT
His braced leg is clearly thinner so I would expect this photo to have been taken a good while after he started wearing the brace for the leg to atrophy from under use. Going through the VBF posts for 2021 and found your post. I can confirm the perthes brace shown in the attachment did not have a knee joint. When I was around that age I had bilaterial perthes (both hips) and was put in this brace on both legs with both feet suspended. I could sit if there was room for my legs to stick out straight like in class under my desk but such as on a bus I had to stand.
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Post by milkid on Feb 13, 2023 14:39:40 GMT
His braced leg is clearly thinner so I would expect this photo to have been taken a good while after he started wearing the brace for the leg to atrophy from under use. Just browsing throghh old posts and can confirm the perthes barace did not have knee joints. At about this age I had bilateral perthes (both hips) and was put in these braces on both legs. Icould only sit where there was room for my legs to stick out like in class under my desk. On a bus no I had to stand.
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Post by milkid on Feb 13, 2023 14:54:17 GMT
No there was no knee joint. I was in this brace on both legs bilateral perthes. Could only sit if room to stick legs out like in class under desk but on bus had to stand
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Post by milkid on Feb 13, 2023 14:57:27 GMT
no there were no knee jions on the perthes brace. I had one of theses on both legs at same time (bilateral perthes both hips) Could only sit where my legs could stick out like in class under my dest on bus I had to stand
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Post by milkid on Feb 13, 2023 14:59:53 GMT
Glad to see this lad is playing cricket as the boy I remember seeing years ago was kicking a football around on a car-park. Perhaps the one on crutches was new to his.
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Post by milkid on Feb 13, 2023 15:09:36 GMT
Yes muscel wasting was a problem when you eventually did get the brace of there were several weeks of physiotherapy. I was in my braces nearly three years. Normally if you are only in one brace with a built up boot on the other foot you were allowed to take off the brace at night and muscel wasting was not so bad, However I was not allowed them off at night but had a long steel bar placed across each brace at night to keep my legs spread wide apart. During weekends and school holidays the bar was kept on all the time day and night,
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Post by milkid on Feb 13, 2023 15:23:20 GMT
Different in perthes brace . If you look at the three attachments in order there are differences, Basically not all the braces were set the same. Take the first attachment the boy is in 8 eyelet ankle boots his foot is suspended around 4 inches this was a common setting for most kids. The boy also has a steel pattern to the sole of his boot. Take a look at second attachment boy playing cricket. He to is in boots but his foot is only 2 to 3 inches suspended The third attachment boy on the roof also in boots but in at least 5 to 6 inch foot suspension and instead of a steel pattern in is a block raised boot. Now from my experince of being three years in bilateral perthes braces (both legs at same time) my parents were told that shoes were not really suitable for a perthes calliper because the strap placed on the heel to the bottom of the walking block or traction straps as in my case would keep pulling a shoe off. I was put in high tightly laced boots beacause I had traction straps. The other thing that was not standerd was the hight the foot or feet were suspended in the calliper. The reason for this is not really known as can be seen in each of the attachments. I still dont know why one boy could be in 2 to 3 inch suspension and onother in 5 to 6 inch what does it do. In my case dont know why I started at a five inch suspension but after thre months it was adjusted to seven inches. Perhaps more difficult to place objects between the boot soles and walking block. Does any one know why the difference
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Post by deejay on Feb 14, 2023 1:11:11 GMT
I think the boy playing cricket has a bit more raise than that if you look at the height of the lift on the other foot. I think that, in this particular photo he is pointing his foot down somewhat. I wonder if VB have ever made this type for anyone. I certainly have wanted to try them ever since seeing a boy wearing one when I was at primary school many years ago. I do remember finding a book in the library once and seeing a photo of the same type of brace. I also remember the description mentioning that the wearer must be dissuaded from placing books or other objects to support the foot.
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