Align Clinic

  • Home
  • The WCR Brace
    • Case Presentations >
      • Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis
      • Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis
      • Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
      • Switching to a WCR Brace
      • Adult Scoliosis Bracing
      • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
      • Treating Upper Thoracic Curves
    • Brace Articles
    • Patient Testimonials >
      • Grant's Testimonials
      • Paul's Testimonials
    • WCR Partner Testimonials
    • Grant's MS Thesis
    • Our Patients
    • Patients and Sports
    • Patients and Hobbies
    • Brace colors
    • Scoliosis Fashion
  • Locations
    • AC San Mateo, CA >
      • Inside AC SM
      • Advanced Techonolgy
      • Stanford Children's Health Partnership
      • Local Hotels
      • Contact Us
      • Team Members
      • Our Practitioners >
        • Grant Wood
        • Paul Burnette
        • Steve Baum
        • Miguel Bustamante
    • AC Green Bay, WI >
      • Inside Wisconsin
      • Patient Testimonials
      • Contact Us
      • Emery Maloney
    • AC The Woodlands, TX
  • Patient Resources
    • WCR Brace Clinics >
      • USA Clinics
      • China Clinics
      • Canada Clinics
    • WCR Certified Practitioners
    • Professional Contacts & References
    • Forms & Insurance
    • Clinical Photos and X-rays
    • Scoliosis Rehab PT, CA
    • Blog
  • Events
    • Brace Clinic Calendar
    • Past Events >
      • Advancements in Conservative Treatment of Scoliosis 2018 >
        • Award for Advancements in the Conservative Treatment of Scoliosis
      • Past USA WCR Clinics and Conferences
      • Advancements in Conservative Treatment Of Scoliosis 2017
      • Shanghai Clinic
      • AAOP Meetings
      • BSPTS Schroth PT Training
    • Past SOSORT Conferences >
      • SOSORT 2019 San Francisco
      • SOSORT2018 Dubrovnik/Croatia
      • SOSORT2017 Lyon/France
      • SOSORT2016 Canada
  • Services
    • Scoliosis & Spine Online Learning
    • Prosthetics
    • Orthotics >
      • Pediatric Orthotics
      • WalkAide
      • Cranial Remolding Band
  • Hope's Embrace® Undershirts
  • Wall Grids
  • WCR Brace Fitting Evaluation
  • For PTs/Orthotists
  • WCR Measurement Order Form
  • Masterclass Conferences
  • Covid19_Info
  • Share your story
  • Home
  • The WCR Brace
    • Case Presentations >
      • Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis
      • Juvenile Idiopathic Scoliosis
      • Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
      • Switching to a WCR Brace
      • Adult Scoliosis Bracing
      • Neuromuscular Scoliosis
      • Treating Upper Thoracic Curves
    • Brace Articles
    • Patient Testimonials >
      • Grant's Testimonials
      • Paul's Testimonials
    • WCR Partner Testimonials
    • Grant's MS Thesis
    • Our Patients
    • Patients and Sports
    • Patients and Hobbies
    • Brace colors
    • Scoliosis Fashion
  • Locations
    • AC San Mateo, CA >
      • Inside AC SM
      • Advanced Techonolgy
      • Stanford Children's Health Partnership
      • Local Hotels
      • Contact Us
      • Team Members
      • Our Practitioners >
        • Grant Wood
        • Paul Burnette
        • Steve Baum
        • Miguel Bustamante
    • AC Green Bay, WI >
      • Inside Wisconsin
      • Patient Testimonials
      • Contact Us
      • Emery Maloney
    • AC The Woodlands, TX
  • Patient Resources
    • WCR Brace Clinics >
      • USA Clinics
      • China Clinics
      • Canada Clinics
    • WCR Certified Practitioners
    • Professional Contacts & References
    • Forms & Insurance
    • Clinical Photos and X-rays
    • Scoliosis Rehab PT, CA
    • Blog
  • Events
    • Brace Clinic Calendar
    • Past Events >
      • Advancements in Conservative Treatment of Scoliosis 2018 >
        • Award for Advancements in the Conservative Treatment of Scoliosis
      • Past USA WCR Clinics and Conferences
      • Advancements in Conservative Treatment Of Scoliosis 2017
      • Shanghai Clinic
      • AAOP Meetings
      • BSPTS Schroth PT Training
    • Past SOSORT Conferences >
      • SOSORT 2019 San Francisco
      • SOSORT2018 Dubrovnik/Croatia
      • SOSORT2017 Lyon/France
      • SOSORT2016 Canada
  • Services
    • Scoliosis & Spine Online Learning
    • Prosthetics
    • Orthotics >
      • Pediatric Orthotics
      • WalkAide
      • Cranial Remolding Band
  • Hope's Embrace® Undershirts
  • Wall Grids
  • WCR Brace Fitting Evaluation
  • For PTs/Orthotists
  • WCR Measurement Order Form
  • Masterclass Conferences
  • Covid19_Info
  • Share your story

The Align Clinic Blog
​ Your Home For Orthotic and Prosthetic Knowledge

Prosthetics and Orthotics: A Short Guide for Parents

10/18/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
For a child, living with physical challenges can be difficult. Their minds are not mature enough to comprehend the situation fully. Your job as a parent is to help them deal with their difficulty to the best of your abilities. Prosthetics and orthotics can improve a child’s life immensely.  ​
Injuries, accidents, and birth defects are just a few of many reasons why children suffer physical difficulties. With some help from a prosthetist/orthotist, your child might be able to regain their mobility 100% and enjoy life to the fullest. But how do you pick the right medical professional?

Whether your child needs an orthopedic brace or an artificial limb, you need top-notch quality. Today, we’re going to give you a short introduction to prosthetics and orthotics and talk about:
  • What prosthetists/orthotists do
  • What qualifications they have for the job
  • How to pick the right prosthetist/orthotist for your child

First, let’s talk about…

What Does a Prosthetist/Orthotist Do?

A prosthetist is a person that treats and works on improving the movement of people with missing limbs, muscle disabilities, and injuries like burns and fractures. An orthotist is a medical professional that makes and fits braces for people who have body parts weakened by injuries. 

These healthcare professionals treat a wide variety of patients, for instance, children born with cerebral palsy, people who have had a limb amputated after an accident, and people who experience muscle weaknesses after sustaining an injury. 

Both prosthetists and orthotists usually do the following:
  • Interview and evaluate patients to determine their needs
  • Design prosthetics and orthotics for their patients
  • Adjust, repair, and replace devices if needed
  • Show their patients how to take care of their devices

What Qualifications does a Prosthetist/Orthotist Have?

Medical professionals that are certified in both disciplines are called Certified Prosthetists Orthotists, or CPOs for short. An average CPO usually leans toward one of the two disciplines. However, to give your child comprehensive care, they need training in both disciplines. 

Prosthetists/orthotists rarely work alone. In most cases, they’re a part of a team that includes CPO assistants and technicians. The rest of the team is there to help the experts construct, fit, and adjust the patent’s prosthesis and orthotics.
Picture

What Should You Ask Before Choosing a Prosthetist/Orthotist?

To find out whether a medical professional is right for your child, you need to talk to them, make sure they have all of the right credentials, check what’s their experience, and how much they charge. Here are a few questions to ask before choosing a prosthetist/orthotist.

What Are their Qualifications?

While researching local clinics, you should always start by looking at the staff and their credentials. Prosthetics/orthotists usually work as a part of a large team, so in addition to checking their education and experience, inspect the rest of the staff. Potential team members can include physical therapists, cancelers, nurses, and even dieticians. Different patients have different needs and you need to make sure that the clinic will be able to give your child the help and care they need.

How Much Do They Charge?

Healthcare in the United States can cost you a lot of money. Just last year, Americans spent $1.3 trillion on hospital bills. A checkup from a prosthetist/orthotist will come with a bill, so before you bring your child in, make sure that you can cover the costs. If the costs are high and you have private health insurance, make sure to check whether you can get your money back. Also, keep in mind that professional prosthetics and orthotics are an ongoing cost, so make sure to discuss your payment options with the clinic. ​

What’s the Location of Their Clinic?

When searching for clinics, the first thing you need to find out is the location. No matter how good the prosthetist/orthotist is, you don’t want to spend a couple of hours stuck in your car to go for a routine checkup. In an ideal situation, you should pick a local clinic. Of course, if there’s no local clinic specializing in prosthetics/orthotics, you should look for one closest to you. Also, if you want to get the best care for your child, go with a private clinic. ​

When Can You Make an Appointment?

If the clinic and its staff seem reputable enough, if they’re in your price range, and are located near you, ask when you can make an appointment. In certain cases, when the doctors are well-respected and sought-after, you might have to wait for a couple of days. According to a 2017 study, on average, patients wait 6 days until they can see their doctor for a checkup. More often than not, you’ll be placed on a waiting list for a few days before you can see the doctor. ​

Does Your Child Need Prosthetics and Orthotics?

The role of a good doctor isn’t just to design prosthetics and orthotics for the patient but to monitor their progress, provide therapy, and help them overcome their difficulties. 

Here, at Align Clinic, our experts in prosthetic and orthotic care will come up with custom designs for your child and help them overcome their problem. 

As we mentioned before, the best way to see whether a clinic is a right choice for you is to visit it and inspect it. To determine whether Align Clinic is the right choice for you, why not visit us?

If you’re looking for prosthetic and orthotic care in Wisconsin, contact our office, set up an appointment, and have a talk with one of our many experts. ​
2 Comments
Taylor Hicken link
1/18/2021 10:42:05 pm

I liked it when you shared that it is important to choose an orthotics clinic that is located in your area so it will be easy for you to come whenever it is needed. My friend just mentioned the other day that she is thinking of taking her son who seems to have trouble walking to a reliable clinic to get the right treatment. I will suggest to her looking for the one that is located near to her house so it will easier for her to go there.

Reply
Eli Richardson link
1/19/2021 11:11:11 am

I'm glad you mentioned how important it is to check your potential orthoptist's qualifications before choosing them. Last week, my sister told me that her daughter had some issues with her feet. She said she's been having trouble walking and climbing up the stairs, and she's worried about how to find the professional help she needs. I think this article will help her out. Thanks for the information about what you should ask before choosing an orthodontist.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Areas Served:

Duck Creek, Cormier, Howard
Check out Align Clinic on Yelp
Align Clinic San Mateo, California:
700 S Claremont St
Suite #105
San Mateo, CA 94402 
Hours: 8:30-5:30 Monday - Friday
Phone: (650) 375-2231
Fax: (650) 627-4632

Align Clinic Green Bay, Wisconsin:
445 Cardinal Lane
Suite #110
Green Bay, WI 54313
Hours: 8:30-5:30 Monday - Friday

Phone: (920) 940-5277
Fax: (844) 308-8462


Align Clinic Houston, Texas:
1001 Medical Plaza Drive, Suite #130
The Woodlands, TX  77380
Phone: (281) 419-1616
Fax: (281) 419-1615

Picture