It's been 2 1/2 years. Last year's x-ray showed his leg quite crooked (knock-kneed). The line from his hip to his ankle should go straight through the knee socket. But his line was completely outside the socket... didn't even touch it. His gait was significantly affected. We put him back into Sure Steps (ankle/foot orthotics, but made of much more flexible plastic than traditional AFO's, with a cutout in the back of the ankle to allow for greater ankle motion and on the bottom, they stop before the ball of the foot to allow for toe push-off).
Yesterday, Micah saw an orthopedic surgeon for the first time since we moved to TN. He was fantastic. And Micah's leg looks MUCH better than it did a year ago. The femur will never be straight. But the leg length looks great. His hips are sitting in a position that you would expect in a 3yr old, not in a 5 1/2 yr old, so we'll be watching that.
The x-ray was marked up a little. The only thing that we really have to watch in the future are his hips. His hips haven't rotated the way they should by this age. His new PT (whom I really like) has given us some good core strengthening exercises and that might help a little.
About 5% of kids with Down syndrome have significant hip issues. Here's hoping Micah is part of the 95%.
1 comment:
I'm so glad to see improvement in Micah's leg and that you have a good doc and PT to work with! I'm enjoying your blog posts this month. Thanks for taking the time to post. I know it's hard to fit it in with all the other demands in our lives! :)
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