Many of our clients experience stiffness in their ankle and foot due to significant tightness in their calf muscles.
This causes issues in their balance when standing and walking and limits their ability to perform activities such as squats and sit to stand
In some cases, the calf muscles are so tight that individuals can’t lower their heels to touch the floor when standing!
In Physiotherapy, we focus on muscle stretching exercises and bracing/serial casting to improve calf muscle tightness so that the ankle and foot achieves full movement to improve overall balance and mobility
Relevance of the turtle brace
In children, calf muscle tightness can develop from longstanding toe walking because of Autism Spectrum Disorder or a neurological condition such as Cerebral Palsy.
In adults, this tightness can develop from a Stroke or Traumatic Brain Injury.
Muscle stretching and strengthening exercises are effective to improve ankle movement .
However, in some cases, prolonged stretching via a brace is needed- which is where the Turtle Brace comes in!
Easy to mould and remould!
The turtle brace provides a similar support to serial casting for muscle stretching. However, with serial casting, the cast is fixed and solid once applied and cannot be readjusted.
On the other hand, the turtlebrace is a thermoplastic cast. In other words, the cast softens when exposed to heat- allowing for easy moulding and reshaping- and hardens into a solid plastic cast as it cools
Once the muscle is sufficiently stretched in this position and the therapist wants to stretch the muscle further, they just need to expose it to heat again to remould it.
More comfortable to wear
The turtle brace has the added benefit of being less bulky than a cast or a night splint, meaning you can walk around with it indoors while it is worn.
You can also zip it on and off for easy application. This is especially beneficial with children who have sensitivity in their feet (common in toe-walking) and need to slowly build up the amount of time they can tolerate wearing the brace.
Easy application means they can start off with wearing it for a few minutes, then a few hours and progress to overnight wear.
If you’re interested in the turtle brace for your, or your child’s toe-walking or ankle and foot stiffness, one of our committed Physiotherapists will be able to assess its suitability and assist you!
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