The Brace

Due to Caleb's difficulty with getting his knee straight, we have had to get a special brace for him to wear at night and as much as he can during the day. Again, the main concern with tibial lengthening is to make sure that the knee does not develop a contracture. A contracture would result in the doctors to stop the lengthening process all together so it is very important for Caleb to be able to get his leg straight. The brace is made by a company named Dyna-splint and so far they have been wonderful to work with. This new piece of hardware does come with a pretty price tag of $1138 and because the company is based out of Maryland, our insurance does not cover the cost. Dyna-splint will work with you by splitting the bill over a six month period. Lauren, the rep for Dyna-Splint makes everything very convenient as she comes to you at the clinic to make the brace and to follow up with any other questions or concerns. I have had to call her to the clinic a handful of times because of various minor issues with the brace and she has come before or after Caleb's PT appointment to keep it convenient for us.

Caleb is not at all happy about wearing the brace because, of course, he likes being able to bend his knee, but in addition to that, it is a bit cumbersome and uncomfortable. The brace does allow for a bit of slack so Caleb can bend his knee a little bit but he is just miserable with it on. I have been giving him medication (2mg of Valium and 3mg of the Roxicet) in the evening to make it tolerable as he sleeps. I never ever get used to the fact that I have to give these heavy drugs to my child but the doctors and therapists have assured me that the medication makes this whole process so much easier on the child.  In addition to medication, I have set up a chart in my house that is similar to a 'chore chart' but it also contains additional goals such as wearing brace, strut turns, pin cleaning. Every day, Caleb earns a star for wearing his brace (6 hours during the day and at night when he is sleeping), he earns a star after all of his turns and after his pin care. I also have a few other goals as far as chores and behavior for Caleb and his siblings and at the end of the week, everyone has the opportunity to earn gifts out of my treasure bag. The amount of stars they earn determines the amount of prizes they get. This might seem  trivial in comparison to all of the hard work that Caleb is doing throughout the week, but it has been working for us. I throw in mostly dollar store items or inexpensive items that I pick up along the way. All the kids participate, and they all love it. My advice........GET A TREASURE BOX!!