Email
PrintAn Orthotic Success Story
Suzi Klimek
When little Camille Joseph was late reaching her walking milestone, mother, Althea Joseph, didn’t get too concerned. After all, Camille’s older sister, Naomi, who is now four years old, was a late walker, too. However, when 15 months came and went and Camille still showed no signs of getting mobile, it was a red flag to have another conversation with her pediatrician.
“When Camille was delayed in crawling, our doctor recommended that we receive physical therapy through the state of Michigan’s early intervention program,” said Althea Joseph, who resides in Niles. “We started therapy, and Camille was doing better, but she was still delayed.”
After a few months of physical therapy and a recommendation for more therapy, Althea couldn’t shake that nagging feeling that there was more to this than just a delay.“I was really looking for an explanation as to why Camille was delayed,” Althea said. “At this point, I wasn’t willing to just settle on more therapy, I needed to take it a step further.”
It wasn’t until Althea changed doctors that she got some answers. “Our new doctor told us Camille had low muscle tone, which explained the delays. After learning this, we started physical therapy through a different hospital and new physical therapist. It was then that the custom SureStep SMOs were recommended.” SMO is an acronym for Supra-Malleolar Orthosis. The SMO, as with other orthoses, gets its name for the part of the body for which it encompasses. This orthosis supports the leg just above the anklebones.
After getting a prescription from her doctor for the SMOs, Althea and Camille landed at Midwest Orthotic & Technology Center in South Bend where she said everyone was very supportive. Althea met with Certified Orthotist and creator of SureStep, Bernie Veldman. “Bernie Veldman fitted Camille for her SureStep SMOs,” Althea said. “He completely understood my situation. He knew the whole story…He was explaining how low muscle tone affects a child’s ability to walk and be active in general. And it sounded exactly like Camille…”
As the owner of Midwest Orthotic & Technology Center in South Bend, which is where SureStep is manufactured, Bernie Veldman treats children with low tone regularly. However, he also knows low muscle tone, or Hypotonia as it is formally called in the medical world, because his son Kevin was born with it. His son’s diagnosis is what ultimately led to the creation of the SureStep stabilizing system.
“As an orthotist and a father of a child with low muscle tone, I was determined to provide the best orthotic treatment regimen for my son Kevin,” said Veldman. “When Kevin was younger, I fabricated a variety of orthotics for his severely pronated feet. Some restricted certain activities like jumping; some made his legs tired and sore; some gave him blisters and callused areas; some just simply slowed him down. Frustrated by the functional limitations created by traditional rigid bracing made of hard plastics, I pursued the creation of a lighter and more flexible device that would allow and even encourage normal development of a child’s gait without decreasing function.”
SureStep SMOs are custom orthotics made from measurements of the child’s feet. It gives children the ability to develop proper movement and muscle strategies, according to Veldman. It may not fix the problem, but it will provide the opportunity for improved function. “The SureStep system works using a completely different principle than other devices. This patented concept employs compression of the soft tissue to facilitate stability,” Veldman said.
Improved function is exactly what this system provided Camille. She was fitted for her new custom SureStep SMOs at 18 months and started to walk shortly after that.
Who Should Consider SMOs?
SureStep SMOs are for children who weigh less than 85 pounds and display moderate to severe pronation (flat feet) when walking or standing. These children may also have developmental delays or are late in learning to advance beyond cruising around furniture and may often seem less stable than their peers. Low muscle tone is generally associated with the following diagnoses: Down Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, certain forms of Cerebral Palsy, but can also be found in typical children. Hypotonia or low muscle tone can account for significant developmental delays.
The SureStep SMO along with a variety of other products are available nationally and internationally. These products are covered by most insurance carriers including Medicaid. It does require a prescription from your doctor and can be provided by a local orthotic service facility. Midwest Orthotic & Technology Center has offices in: South Bend, Chicago, Indianapolis and Merrillville. Combined, these four offices serve the entire state of Indiana, southwest Michigan and the greater Chicagoland area.
Althea Joseph and her daughter Camille are happy SureStep exists. Camille turns two in just over a month and according to Mom, it’s tough to slow her down. You may not notice her SureStep SMOs with the Happy Daisy pattern peeking out of her shoes as she runs, but for Camille and her mother Althea, it’s a noticeable difference in everyday life.
Terms to Know
Low Muscle Tone
Low tone describes muscles that are softer or looser when relaxed - leaning more toward flaccidity. Low muscle tone most often results in excessive range of motion in the joints as well, due to the laxity in the ligaments that accompanies low muscle tone.
SMO
SMO is an acronym for Supra-Malleolar Orthosis. The SMO, as with other orthoses, gets
its name for the part of the body for which it encompasses. This orthosis supports the leg just
above the anklebones or malleoli. The SMO is considered the shortest of the Ankle Foot Orthoses. The SMO is prescribed for patients who have soft, flexible, flat feet. For more information about the SureStep SMO, visit us on the web at www.surestep.net
Pronation
The medical term for a flat foot is pronation. Other similar terms such as pes planus, pes plano-valgus, and hyper-pronation are often used interchangeably. Pronation involves not only the collapsing of the medial-longitudinal arch (main arch of the foot), but begins with a tilting of the heel, which causes a breakdown of the rest of the foot. Pronation can result in significant issues involving alignment, function, balance and coordination.
