Hypermobile 22 month old - special boots?

[inadreamworld]

My 22 month old DD is not walking yet,when she pulls up to stand her ankles bend to the side so she is putting weight on the outside of her foot. The specialist says she is hypermobile as she was late crawling and rolling too - she has had all the tests and has no other special needs and is developing normally in every other way.She is getting frustrated at not walking and walks around on her knees all the time.

I have heard that I can get special boots that would support her ankles and help her walk. Does anyone know where I can get them and if they are very expensive?

Dd2 is hypermobile and stood in exactly the same way, she bumshuffled which exacerbated it. The physio we saw said she wouldn't qualify for Piedro boots - which are the specialist boots (and very expensive to buy), but suggested a boot which was very sturdy across the foot and up the ankle. We had Kickers and some boys shoes from Clarks (boys not as flimsy as the girls shoes), She started walking at 21 months, not very long after getting the shoes.

My DD had Piedros because she had hypermobility in her ankles, a leg length discrepancy and one of her feet turned in slightly.

They were prescribed by her Orthopaedic consultant. We then went to the orthotics dept who measured her and ordered them. I think she had 3 pairs in the end before they said she didn't need them any more.

Has the specialist not mentioned them? If they haven't I'd try to make contact and ask them if they can prescribe them (if it's appropriate in your DDs case).

My DD wears Piedro boots. Her paed referred her to orthotics who supply them whenever she grows. Privately, they're about £60 per pair.

My ds also wears Piedros (provided through physio/mobility clinic) & they have really helped.

Hi
My DS is hypermobile too.
We ended up with Piedros via orthotist who physio referred us too
But found some good ones in the meantime by getting some Clarks boots which we used into the Piedros came through
Swimming has really helped him as has trampolining regularly, his tone was low but is improving; don't know if it's something that would be relevant for your situation as don't know if there are any worried about tone

Thanks for all the helpful replies. The paediatrician did say something about Orthiotics seeing DD sometime but when I asked about the boots he said not sure she would qualify to get them on the NHS.

Newbie Doctor said she may have low tone and definitely hypermobile. I have a 5 week old DD as well and her legs are definitely much stronger and she seems to have a lot more muscle power (!!) than DD1 did as a tiny baby. So maybe DD1s tone is low.

lougle £60 does not sounds as expensive as i thought. Maybe i should look into getting some Piedros.

Do any of your hypermobile children have other special needs? DD1 doesn't and the (few) other kids I have met in real life with hypermobility seem to have other special needs as well.

Also do any of you have a family history of hypermobility/late walking? There is no history on my side but mother in law says my husband was in special boots from 1 year until 3 yeas but he walked at 16 months so not late. She doesn't remember what the boots were for.

Do hypermobile/low tone kids have any problems as olderkids/adults? Or does it just sort itself out when they start walking?

My dd has mildly hypermobile ankles, knees and hips, and low muscle tone. She has no other sn.

Her podiatrist said that swimming is about the best thing for building overall muscle tone, also when she's older (she's only 3yo now) ballet and horse riding, as these help turn the hips/knees outwards.

We didn't qualify for piedro boots but have tried to stick to Kickers or Start-rite, as these have good sturdy heel support.

I think long term problems could include painful joints (knees/hips) and also back problems - that's just what I've heard from (adult) friends though.

If you had your child's feet measured, you can get piedros secondhand if you wanted

You can get second-hand piedros on ebay, or if you post the size on here, sometimes people have boots their children have grown out of.

DS did well with memo shoes, but ultimately needed to go back to piedros (but he has extremely low tone). They used to be cheaper than piedros. www.equiptomove.co.uk/epages/es134890.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es134890/Categories/Shoe_Gallery

you can buy piedro boots here check out the sale section! I'd ask for a referral to an orthotist, even if they won't supply the boots they may advise on what ones would be best, they may suggest insoles depending on what your dd needs

bial I assume your DD is walking now - what age was she when she started walking without holding on to something?

Thanks montage and ninja for the links.

I am wondering what would happen if I didn't buy her the boots - would the bendy ankles straighten out on their own? What I mean is do the boots help strengthen the muscles or do they just provide support to get hypermobile kids walking earlier than they would normally?

I think that the boots give the ankle muscles support & the child the confidence to walk,which in turn strengthens the muscles (although time without boots is important too). Maybe it depends on the degree of hypermobility? My ds was a very late walker, 3.5ish but now he's started he is very quickly catching up gross motor wise. Boots helped a lot as did swimming & riding for overall tone.

DS2 is hypermobile, with low tone and he wore Piedros when he was little - he didn't walk until 21 months and was still falling over a lot at 3. He refuses to wear them, now, but they really helped him to build up his walking stamina and increase his muscle tone. They were prescribed by a physio and provided by an orthotist.

And to answer your other question, his primary diagnosis is ASD.

He's almost 7, now and still very squish, but so much stronger. HIs back is straight when he stands now and he's quite strong - capable of moving the furniture around the room!

Piedro stability boots (the ones usually on prescription) are usually around £134 (sorry) but they sometimes have them reduced like these www.gilbert-mellish.co.uk/Shop/Products/stability-boots/1274.aspx (£67)
You can also get some from the fb special needs equipment site or ebay special needs from time to time. They are usually in excellent condition as the children often dont walk much in them. Piedros are really far superior to other shoes.

My son has HMS and despite spending time in Gt Ormond St and needing physio, we have always been fobbed off on the boots.

A new physio eventually prescribed specialist trainers from these people de novo we just had to pay £20 towards them.

They have been great and we may pay for another pair ourselves.

Oh dear...it looks as if the boots are expensive. If her ankles don't straighten out soon on their own I may need to get them. Physio says DD isn't 'bad enough' to need the boots.

does she wear anything on her feet at the moment? Did the physio recommend any shoes/boots, in light of the fact that she doesn't qualify for piedros.

you could consider walking boots, they're not as supportive as piedros but do a pretty good job and are a lot cheaper if you shop around, have a look here for some ideas

Try Babybotte shoes - sorry can't link but Charles Clinkard do them if you have a branch nearby? They are very supportive but with a flexible sole unlike Kickers which are a bit stiff I find.

From what I have read about benign low muscle tone most children will grow out of this problem as they develop strength to compensate. My dd has very mild CP with low tone and hypermobility which has gradually improved over the years with physio etc. She walked at 20 months old but took a while to get steady due to tone and joints.

Boots aren't always the best thing because the strength has to be built anyway. My daughter has Down Syndrome and is 2yrs tomorrow - still not walking, with her ankles being the main stumbling point. She will be getting boots, but here are some exercises we have been prescribed. Obviously side to side cruising along a table is the best way to build ankle stability, but also try putting little stickers on the sole of her feet especially under the small toes so she has to turn the foot inwards to pick them off. Pasta between the toes and also walking on kidney beans or marballs.

Hi, my dd also is hypermobile and tends to turn her feet out and we have boots. What shoe size is your.dd? We have some that I think are size 3 she has grown out of (will check). I would be delighted to send them on.. My dd does have other issues - but I know loads of kids through a hip dysplasia group I am on who don't (apart from hip dysplasia). I would say try not to worry too much about other issues that aren't there (but if her legs are different lengths or she has asymetric creases by her buttocks or a wonky crawl get a hip x- ray).

Hi, my DD also has a pair of old piedros (size 20 - think that might be a size 4 in UK sizes), I'm happy to forward to anyone who might need them. They're bright pink patent & are pretty scuffed at the front, but the actual boot is still OK.

DD also has Down Syndrome, so has hypermobility in all joints (you should see how she wants to sleep!)

Just checked - ours are size 19. They are blue nubuck with velcro, still in quite good nick as she didn't really get to grips with them till they were nearly too small. I'd be delighted to send them on to anyone - would be good for them to get some use!