Re: petrie cast question
Hi Michelle,
My son had a Petrie (without removable bar and without feet casted)
last January at age 8 and I drive a Subaru Outback. I guess it depends
on whether you have another child in the backseat with him and also on
the size of your child and the spread of his cast.
I had to take the car seat for my 2 year old out of the car, and my
husband and I pretty much had to drive separately wherever we went
until he was out of the Petrie. We kept a couple of pillows in the car
at all times, so Adam could prop his legs up to get comfortable. He
was in the Petrie for 6 weeks and then went to a Petrie-type brace.
The brace is very light-weight and I think the angle went down, because
now we can fit both kids in the back seat just fine.
The Outback is great, too, because we would fold the single side of the
back seat down and then the reclining wheelchair would fit in back, too.
I think it depends, though, on the size of your child and wheelchair.
My son is only about 55 lbs and 50 inches tall now (VERY small for his
age). And his hip has been contained without dramatic angles on his
brace and cast.
Good luck with the casting. The first week is kind of tough, but it
gets much easier when they are able to scoot around and within about
three weeks you can't stop them!
Let us know if you have any more questions.
Lisa/Adam 9
Hey Michelle. My son had surgery and was casted at the age of 9 and
it was tough/tricky getting him home from the hospital. I have a
Honda Accord and he barley fit in the back seat. He had to sit side
ways and we let the passenger seat all the way up because of the
spread of his legs. It was a long ride home because he was in some
pain and he was nauseous too. At the time, we also had a Jeep
Cherokee. That's the way we traveled with him after the experience in
the Accord coming home from the hospital. For the Jeep, we would just
let down one of the back seats and sit him in the back with pillows.
It was very comfortable for him and he had a lot of room.
Hope everything goes well for your son.
Renae & Drew (11 yrs. old next month)
Michelle,
My son has had 2 arthrograms/petrie casts in 7 months...you can see
his photos in his album, Jacob H. He had a removeable bar the first
time...but the down side of it is you will be tempted often to take
the bar out for doorways, toileting, car rides, etc...and we found
that it may not have been the best thing for Jacob...since he had to
have another identical procedure just 7 months later!!! The second
set of casts did not have a removeable bar...it was MUCH more
difficult with mobility...and it was the dead of summer...we mostly
stayed indoors...we had to buy a mini-van... I had a Honda CRV and My
husband had a Mercedes SUV...didn't work...but my son is tall and has
long legs and his casts were spread wide. My ex-husband (Jacob's
dad) borrowed his parent's van when he had Jacob...then he didn't
have to buy a new/different car. Althought the second set was rough,
I think it was a better treatment...he HAD to stay in abduction 100%
of the time...now he is doing great and in re-growth...he wears an A-
frame 12 hours a day, wheelchair during the day.
buy some breakaway basketball pants (I cut them off and hemmed them
into shorts for the summer set of casts)...and buy some boxer shorts,
cut the sides open, and sew on some ties to close them up on the
sides...Shriners actually provided a couple of pairs for Jacob after
the second procedure. They have ladies who make them all the time
and give them to patients.
Get drop-side commode...or your son may not fit onto the seat with
wide casts...the side bars get in the way sometimes.
If you have any other questions just let me know!!
Kate/Jacob (9)- Venice, Florida
First limp Jan 2006
1st orthopedic surgeon Dr. Hahn, March 06 at All Children's St. Pete
Fl (early stage, minimal deterioration/fragmentation)
1st tenotomy/Petrie casts Dec 06 (full head involvement, LLD,
subluxation)
1st cast removal Jan 19 (no bracing)
2nd orthopedic surgeon- Dr. Kim, at Shriners Hospital for Children,
Tampa May 07
Wheelchair/walker/crutches prescribed May 07
Some bone growth 5/07
2nd tenotomy/petrie casts July 6 07
Removal of 2nd Petrie casts Aug 20, 07
A-frame brace 12 hrs/day starting Aug. 22, 07
Use of wheelchair and walker for short distances (25 ft)
Physical Therapy 3x/week starting Sept. 07
Use of Crutches short distances 10/07
MORE NEW BONE GROWTH , Yipee!!10/07
Hippo therapy started Jan 08
Thanks Lisa. My son is 8 and he's pretty tall. i think the outback
will be a tight fit and I really wany us to be able to get around
without a hassle during this time. We're going to but a Volkswagen
van. Thanks for you response!
michelle
I am not sure on this one, and I am sure you will get the correct
answer, but I would think, believe, it has part to do with makeing sure
they do not put any unecessary, akward, pressure on there foot. Seems
they could get injured easier, Poor Ashton had his spica cast down to
right above his ankle, on the effected leg, and above the knee on the
left. Well poor dad, tripped over something, on the porch while
carrying Ashton, and poor Ashton, got a green stick fracture, on on his
fibula (big bone, right above the ankle), right below the cast ending,
from the fall...Dad tried to hold him in the air, and took most of the
fall, but as much as we want their little feet free, (he had a heal
sore, or it may have been covered, I think its a safety thing too...Not
sure, can see in Ashtons pics, his ace bandaged foot, before, and then
the casted foot after...the poor people at our local hospital, did not
know what to do, when we got his ankle xrayed, they have never seen a
cast like that! Thought I would share our experience, thought about the
feet casted... (o:
Katrina
Casting the feet prevents drop foot. Drop foot is caused when the
achilles tightens due to non use and the foot in a plantar extended
position meaning toes down. It's used more when tight muscles are seen
or a child will be casted longer than normal, but mostly as a
precaution by doctors and habit. If you ask for no feet casted it may
be done the next time. But it may mean knees bent to keep internal and
external rotation under control. Brian