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Supramalleolar orthoses (SMOs)

I made a mistake the first time. He does not wear AFOs in the day but SMOs as he is flat footed.

I did extensive research and it seems that the use of orthotics is not proven for this condition. We are going to phase them out with the help of the NDT physio. He falls alot with them on.

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Permalink Reply by Keith & Jill VE on November 18, 2012 at 7:43am

It sounds like your son is wearing the AFOs during the day. I believe most of the younger boys wear the AFOs only during the night while they're sleeping to help stretch. This is what my son's neurologist had him start doing when he was first diagnosed.

I hope this helps!

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Permalink Reply by Trinh Nguyen on November 19, 2012 at 5:38am

AFO's function is to stretch not to support boy's walking. It actually causes more inconvenience for our boy's walking I believe. So, it should be used at night time.

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Permalink Reply by lisa burke on November 20, 2012 at 10:35am

Hi Angelique. Are the SMO's inserts that he wears in his shoes? From your description I'm guessing not.

We have been given shoe-inserts for our little boy (almost 4 years old) as he is flat-flooted also. We were told that flat-footedness can put unwanted pressure on the supporting muscles of the foot and leg as it can cause the ankels to turn inwards.

The inserts we have are really tiny, however, and I don't think my son has even noticed them in his boots. They are quite soft and give his feet a subtle arch in the right place. Perhaps you try these for your son's flat-footedness?

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Permalink Reply by Chris Diemler on November 20, 2012 at 3:45pm

Hi Lisa, my son is 5 and flat footed as well. We just came back from seeing Dr. Wong and she suggested the same thing you are using. Did you see someone to get a script for this? And where did you purchase these inserts?

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Permalink Reply by Trinh Nguyen on November 22, 2012 at 9:48pm

Hi Lisa,

My son's walking changes a lot. His toes are inward a lot in balacing himself. Is SMO workable for him ? Where did you purchase the inserts ?

Much thanks.

Trinh

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Permalink Reply by lisa burke on November 24, 2012 at 4:08am

Hi Chris and Trinh,

I'm sorry for my late reply. I live in the UK so I'm afraid I can't answer your questions about purchasing shoe-inserts - we had them given to us on the NHS. The orthotist DID say that they were an 'inexpensive and easy' option for flat-footedness however. They're just moulded plastic (one red and one blue - to distinguish the left from the right) and they just slip into the shoe/boot. They have to match your child's shoe-size so will need to be removed every time your son gets new footwear.

One word of advice we were given; when using them for the first time put them in a whole brand new pair of shoes/boots (we chose some very exciting Spider-Man boots). That way your child doesn't have the whole "my shoes feel different to normal" thing. It worked for us - Seth never batted an eyelid and wears them everyday.