The Prosthetics department at Scottish Rite for Children provides state-of-the-art, custom-made prostheses for young, growing patients with special orthopedic needs. Our team makes approximately 300 or more unique prosthetic limbs annually and about 50 to 60 activity-specific devices designed so a child can perform specific activities from playing an instrument, tumbling or gymnastics, to running track. Our prosthetists provide comprehensive care through consultations, measuring, casting and molding, fitting, alignment, fabrication and follow-up visits at our Dallas and Frisco campuses. Since the Prosthetics team is on-site, they have the ability to collaborate with doctors, therapists and other medical staff during the child’s visit.
In the last few years, the Prosthetics team has expanded its offerings with a hybrid blade, also known as Fillauer Pediatric Formula Foot. This option can be attached to the back of the prosthesis and includes both a growth-adjustable blade and foot plate as well as a foot shell. This enables prosthetists to fit the child with a carbon fiber composite blade to help with running and playing most sports, combined with a carbon foot, over which they can wear a shoe. It helps kids who need to be active to run and keep up with their peers in most activities like PE, or every day playing, but don’t need true running blades. Running blades do not have a heel and are designed more for running, sprinting, or long distances but not as great for sports like tennis, basketball or soccer where the child needs to be able to pivot and make quick turns.
The Formula Blade meets the needs for many kids so they don’t need two separate prostheses every year. Another helpful aspect of this option is that it can also be lengthened as the child grows as well as replace the foot plate and foot shell so they child can “grow” the foot. This may extend the life of that prosthesis for an extra year or so.
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We are also moving more into some exciting new developments in arm prostheses, partial hand prostheses, and 3D printing that continue to extend our options for helping Scottish Rite for Children
give children back their childhood.