About a year and a half ago we first tried AFOs for J. They didn’t work as wonderfully as we’d hoped, and our orthopedic doctor was not a fan, so we quit after about a month. Our doctor assured us that J’s ankles would strengthen as he got older. Unfortunately, J’s left ankle has gotten worse, and we haven’t seen improvement in his right. The physical therapist at his IEP eval suggested we try these AFOs because they allow for more natural ankle movement (the lack of which was a major reason our doctor didn’t like the previous AFOs).

Last week I took J to get fitted. He was pretty scared, as anytime he walks into a doctor’s office he panics, thinking something will hurt. It didn’t help when she put on rubber gloves, which is what nurses do before giving shots.

First, J was given a sock for his left foot (we’re holding off on doing a right foot AFO for now):

Then, the orthotist put in a blue tube:

Time to wrap with plaster dipped fabric:

Marking off where the tube was, and other measurements:

Final cast: