Our appointment with Sammy's surgeon went well. She thinks that he is just walking that way as a protective measure--especially because of his lack of balance.
We met with a physical therapist at CHLA on Friday so she could evaluate Sammy. She was amazed at his range of motion/flexibility of his left hip. The bowing of his legs caused the rotation problem with his feet that was corrected by his last surgery, but the bowing apparently also caused his hips to have a pretty wide range of motion. He also has weakened gluteus (butt) muscles caused from not walking for so long, so add that with the balance issue and the wide range of motion in his hip--and that is why he is turning in his left foot. It's the most comfortable and provides him with a better sense of balance. He also isn't taking normal strides with his legs, he does more of a shuffle with his feet. And he has been walking heel first and even quite a bit on his heels, so all those things need to be addressed.
So, we will be going to physical therapy twice a week for the next month or so to see if we can improve his walking and strengthen his muscles. Fortunately, his therapist is really sweet and patient and the activities they do are pretty fun for him (so far...). I just hope he can make some marked improvement before he starts school next month.
And I am continually amazed at how great the women at my church are. I put out a call for help with watching Helene and Hannah for all these appointments since other children are not allowed in the PT sessions, and I am so grateful for all the people who immediately volunteered to watch the girls for me.
Seriously, you guys rock!
1 comment:
I love reading your updates. I am so glad Sammy is getting some physical therapy...poor little guy! I too hope it goes well.
I wish I were there to help watch the girls, but at least you have an awesome group of people supporting you!
Good Luck!
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