nclem
09-22-2009, 04:43 PM
I need some opinions. My son, Daniel, recently saw a new doctor - a physiatrist -who recommended we try bilateral GRAFO braces for him due to his need for extra knee support. (He was wearing AFO's prior to this.) When the doctor mentioned the GRAFO's to us and explained how they work, we were a little skeptical because Daniel hyperextends his knees very badly and we were concerned that the GRAFO's might worsen this condition. But the doctor pretty much ignored our concerns and wrote the Rx. Anyway, Daniel now has the new GRAFO's and as we feared, the braces are causing his knees to hyperextend badly and lock up, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward. He's gone from being able to stand independently and take 8 to 20 steps (without walker or crutches) to not being able to stand independently at all.
My question is this - what recourse do we have, now that we have spent $3300 on a pair of braces that are causing Daniel to regress? Should I take Daniel back to the physiatrist and complain that her recommendation didn't work? Or do I take him back to the orthotist that made the braces? (We mentioned our concerns about the GRAFO's to him as well, before he fitted Daniel for the braces.) It just seems as though we've spent a lot of money on braces that aren't working. Help!
My question is this - what recourse do we have, now that we have spent $3300 on a pair of braces that are causing Daniel to regress? Should I take Daniel back to the physiatrist and complain that her recommendation didn't work? Or do I take him back to the orthotist that made the braces? (We mentioned our concerns about the GRAFO's to him as well, before he fitted Daniel for the braces.) It just seems as though we've spent a lot of money on braces that aren't working. Help!