Finally I got some good ideas from Amelia's Physical Therapist. Yes, from the one I complained a bit before for nagging about the specialized strolled Amelia did not need. It is hard to explain the positioning so I better present some pictures.
In this "contraption" she feels rather comfortable. The four black foamy pieces are pipe insulations, the two behind her back are normally hidden underneath the chair cover so it does not look so weird. The two pieces working on her legs are usually kicked off or get removed manually by inquisitive Amelia :-) Hovever, I do my best to keep them in place.
Another idea involves positioning Ami during play, on the tummy or on her back. For this purpose I used the type of foam used for swimming (no longer the pipe insulation :-) rolled in a towel. Today I actually figured that turning the "assembly" up side down keeps it better in place. It is really nice, Amelia does not pay any attention to it, it does not create a pressure of any sort, and it serves the purpose very well.
Hope that the positioning helps! From my understanding, the bowing is caused by the way the bones grow (one of the lower leg bones actually grows a little faster than the other) and the shape of the growth plate, not positioning, but every lit bit might help!
ReplyDeleteLooking good in her better positioning!!! We have a similar support for Sonya's carseat. I blogged about it a long time ago... Here's the link if you are interested in some more ideas.
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We used the swim noodles in the carseat to keep Sonya's legs from splaying out like a frog. I think it was more of a hip issue for Sonya.
That is great that Amelia's PT is being more helpful! I hope the positioning assemblies work well for her! We never did any positioning with Simon based on advice from his ortho, but most of Simon's leg issues come from the way his ball and socket are in his hip.
ReplyDeleteDestini is right. Positioning is great for the back (to prevent kyphosis) and tummy time is great to keep kids off the back of their heads, but I believe the leg bowing is due to fibula overgrowth in achons. It grows faster than the tibia. But if it can help even slightly than it is worth it! She is adorable!
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