Bent Knee Offloader

Posted By: Gregory Armstrong on September 28, 2012

I have a very young female with spina bifida. She's sensate to just proximal of the ankle. She has a deep ulceration 2.5cm across and 1+cm deep on the lateral border of her foot at the base of the 5th. She also has a smaller ulceration on the lateral malleolus. I will not go into detail here about surgical plans or the family dynamic except to say, the situation calls for some creative thinking. A PTB AFO is a possibility and may be what I do. But, one day awhile back I saw a woman wearing a rigid KAFO type of device that kept the knee bent at about a 50 or 60 degree angle, baring weight through her knee and shin with the foot free of the ground. The distal end of this framework had rubber soling to allow ambulation. Does this sound familiar to anyone and can you provide any technical information? I have a picture in my head but not sure where to begin with the design.

Greg Armstrong, BSPO, LCPO
1719 8th Ave
Fort Worth, TX 76110
Ofc: 682-885-6295
Fax: 682-885-6061
mailto:[E-mail Address Removed]
[Description: cook%20childrens%20logo%20images_resized]
The message above was posted to OANDP-L, the e-mail discussion list for orthotics and prosthetics.