New Approach to Equinus Deformity Management Waiting to Gain Traction
The O&P Business News recently published a follow-on piece to Beverly Cusick's April 2011 article, Help Patients Manage Equinus Deformity. In the original article, Billi wrote that the new approach was “exemplified in the principles and methods employed in the specialized design of below-knee serial casts used for postural and gait training and in the ‘tuning’ of solid AFOs and foot wear combinations.”
The follow-up article quotes Kevin Matthews, CO/LO at Advanced Orthopedic Designs, and Freeman Miller, MD, the Medical Director at duPont Hospital for Children regarding the pros and cons of the new approach.
Help Patients Manage Equinus Deformity
O&P Business News, April 2011 by Beverly Cusick, PT, MS, COF
A paradigm shift is underway, whereby ankle equinus deformity in children is managed with three important factors in mind: 1) as a component of a sensory deficit associated with problems of postural control; 2) as a biomechanical element in single-limb stance whereby the rate of tibial inclination is more significant than the ankle angle; and 3) in acknowledgement of the necessity to protect foot joint alignment from deforming strains imposed by weight-loaded tension from a calf muscle contracture...
The R-Wrap© Orthosis
The R-Wrap© total-contact ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) is an ingeniously simple and remarkably comfortable device designed for managing complex foot deformities and strong supination synergistic muscle activation. For more information on the R-Wrap story, please see the attached article by John Russell and others.
Other Articles by Beverly Cusick
Ms. Cusick has authored, co-authored, or been included in multiple articles and publications of interest to the pediatric neuromotor medical community:
- NDTA Network: Pediatric Orthopedics, Part 1
- NDTA Network: Pediatric Orthopedics, Part 2
- NDTA Network: Pediatric Orthopedics, Part 3a
- "Orthopedic Management of Cerebral Palsy", O&P Business News, April 2002
- White Paper: Response to Radtka article...
- White Paper: A Discussion of Terminology...
