[tri-med] Re: foot length

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Dncingqwn
> Akaiya has rockerbottom feet - although they seem to be changing shape...I
> thought it might be because she is wearing her AFO's more often?

Yep - rocker bottom feet on their own is just a "cosmetic" thing - they will 
flatten out all on their own as the kids weight bear on their feet more. It 
doesn't stop them from being able to walk or weight bear and it also doesn't 
mean that they will be flat footed either. (they can be due to other 
reasons, but its not the rocker bottom soles)

The rocker shape is caused by the fact that the muscles of the feet have 
slightly different starting points and attach at slightly different points 
on their bones to the typical person. Its also why kids with T-18 have those 
cute funky fingers. Its not permanent and as they use the muscles the 
problem tends to rectify cosmetically. Doesn't change their uniqueness, its 
just that you wont notice it as much when they get older.

Actually that was the really great fun we used to have with med students 
when Alex was a toddler. The pediatricians would play "guess the diagnosis" 
with the students. They would give them Alex with no diagnosis and then ask 
them to tell the peds what was wrong - mean doctors. Then after they were 
stumped they would tell them that he had T-18 and they would all come in 
looking for the clenched hands, rocker bottom feet and high dermal arches. 
From about 18 months on only an experienced geneticist could see the feet 
and clenched hands and most of the students knew what the high dermal arches 
were from a text book but had no experience in "seeing" them so often 
couldn't tell if they were there or not.

At 12 - Alex's hands and feet appear "normal" most of the time, no one could 
pick the rocker bottom feet - but if he is confined to bed for more than a 
couple of weeks his feet start rounding out again. His hands still take on 
the T-18 posturing - when he is unconscious or deeply (very deeply) asleep. 
To Alex's delight the hand anomaly makes it very easy for him to do the 
Vulcan hand salute!!! Gotta take the pluses where you can :-))

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.
                                            -- Josh Billings

Keep Looking For Rainbows!!
   _--_|\
 /Karen \
 \ _.--._ /
          v Karen, Mum to Alex (12 years, T-18 Mosaic)
http://members.optushome.com.au/karens

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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