To save money, do you ever order a fixed AFO with the option to add a hinge later?
Answer
Yes, I do. It is an option if you feel that your patient will progress to the point of being able to utilize an articulated device, but for now, they cannot. Perhaps they have weak plantar flexors, weak quadriceps, or they do not have enough range of motion; you can ask an orthotist to make a solid AFO with a joint in it, but tell them not to cut it. In other words, when they mold and pull the plastic to make the AFO, they will pull it over a joint. Then, later, all that the orthotist has to do is go back and cut the articulation. This is an option if you know that the client is only going to get one AFO, and they will have to keep it for a long time before they have an option of getting a new one.
Jill Seale, PT, PhD, NCS
Jill has been a licensed physical therapist for 24 years. She received Board Certification in the area of Neurologic Physical Therapy from the American Physical Therapy Board of Clinical Specialties in 2004 and recertification in 2014. She has practiced almost exclusively in the field of Brain Injury and Stroke rehabilitation. She has a variety of teaching experiences, in physical therapy academia as well as in the health care community at large. She is currently faculty in the DPT program at South College. In addition, she teaches in several online and onsite continuing education programs across the nation. She has taught and presented in the areas of neurological pathology, rehabilitation, gait, orthotics, mentoring, and research, and is currently involved in clinical research in stroke rehabilitation, orthotic management, and gait analysis/rehabilitation.
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