Kids in leg calipers, circa 1966-67

[Miljah]

Do you remember this? It came to me as a memory last night. I started school in '66 and I recall a couple of kids in leather strap and steel rod calipers, attached to a brown leather boot.

I guess they'd had polio?

And as an aside, do anti-vaxxers not allow the polio vaccine?

They no longer vaccinate routinely for polio in the U.K. as it’s been eradicated here.

I didn't know that!

I was born in 1970 and remember one child locally who had leg callipers. Pretty sure DS had a polio vaccine as a baby 10 years ago.

Surely polio is part of the DPT vaccine still ?

I'm not sure they all had Polio.
There was a girl in my class at school that hadn't. It was a growth thing with her.

It has been eradicated because people had the vaccination - let us hope enough people have the sense to get their children the up-to-date vaccinations available now and there might be other illnesses that we could eradicate.

Sorry meant...given alongside DPT

I remember this too I am sure it was to treat a number of things.

Polio yes particularly if one leg shorter than the other. But I think talipes (club foot) braces may have been similar looking too?

Modern materials mean orthotics are not as bulky as they were, but many children still need them.

Polio is still vaccinated for in the UK in the 6 in 1 vaccine. It is a virus spread by the faeco oral route and could very easily reoccur in the UK if vaccination lapses.
My Dad had it in the late 40s and is now suffering the secondary affects of post polio syndrome that comes back to bite you in later life.

Polio vaccine is still routinely given in the UK - it's part of the 6 in 1 vaccine given to babies.

Callipers have been replaced by much more discreet AFOs. They're still in use in that form for conditions such as severe hypermobility or cerebral palsy or other conditions where the ankle needs bracing.

There used to be large collection boxes that sat outside shops for a charity, which featured a model of a child ( boy, as I remember) with callipers. I don’t remember children IRL in them, but I do remember the occasional adult in them and those in very built up shoes,

I stand corrected! I clearly didn’t read what my kids were being vaccinated for closely enough

I wouldn’t care, but my grandmother had polio and spent months in an iron lung in her 20’s so it’s something close to my heart too

Same era - the little brother of a class mate had this.
He had a hip problem and one of his legs was shorter, they tried to lengthen it. It was quite painful sometimes.

I remember the sugar cube vaccination and the last case of small pox in my area in 1972.
MY DC are vaccinated against everything recommended - including polio.

I think that’s why I thought mine hadn’t had it; I was thinking sugar cubes!

I was born in 1972, and my friend had a caliper and boot due to spina bifida

Sadly, mutations of it are coming back as we know personally as a family ☹️

My brother had a callipers. He had Perthes which is a hip disease

I was in primary school in the early 90s with a boy who had had polio and was in calipers, so it must have been eradicated relatively recently.

There was a boy in my school with calipers, that was in the 80s so doubt it was anything to do with polio! No idea why he needed them but remember him having operations a couple of times.

platypus I remember the child-in-a-caliper collecting box, it was for The Spastics Society, I think

As pp have said orthotics have moved on and use different materials these days but Afos (splints) are still used lots for children with conditions such as DMD and CP.