On Saebo Stretch and Adderall

http://www.hemifoundation.org/

For many of you, this post will not be very interesting, but for those of you who have kids with right-side weakness, and paresis, these comments may be of some value.

Today, I'm going to talk about the Saebo Stretch. The Saebo "Stretch" is a hand and arm orthotic that is used to keep the muscles of the hand and arm stretched, so that they don't tighten up and present irregularly. When people (children and adults alike) have brain injuries from stroke, disease, or surgery, it is very common to wear an orthotic such as this.

So we don't get things confused, I'm talking about the Saebo Stretch, NOT the Saebo Flex. See pictures in this link. http://www.saebo.com/main.html I'm talking about the one on the right, not the exo-skeletal looking one on the left. Hopefully someday, we'll get to try the one on the left too, but it is used to try to regain functionality in the hand.

So what do we think about the Saebo Stretch? First of all, the Saebo Stretch doesn't come in pediatric sizes, so we convinced our OT at Cook's to order an adult small for Jessie. It was really too large for her, and it is hard to keep on. The fingers tend to come out of the straps.

So I went out to my work shop and began making revisions, and got it working pretty good, but quite honestly, her custom orthotic from KKI stays on better, so we mostly stick with it. Hopefully, as Jessie grows out of the custom hand orthotic, we can switch to the Saebo Stretch.

Saebo Stretch Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
1) Can be adjusted as the child grows
2) Adjusts to stretch the thumb and fingers more or less
3) Looks sporty compared to most orthotics

Disadvantages
1) Doesn't come in Pediatric sizes
2) Hard to put on at first
3) Isn't held in place by straps as well as a custom orthotic

So, there is good, and bad. Bottom line, if you can get insurance to pay for it, then get one and see if it works for you. Otherwise, stick with what you have to keep those fingers and thumb stretched out. If you have nothing, find something to keep those fingers and thumb stretched out and if Saebo Stretch is one of you options, get one. If you have a good Hanger http://www.hanger.com/Pages/HangerHome.aspx rep (or other similar company) nearby, see what they suggest, but in my opinion, something is better than nothing.

Also, we continue to try Botox and the initial results are favorable. I'll write about that and Adderall again soon.

God Bless,

Cris

http://www.hemifoundation.org/