Q & A

Dear DAFO Dynamo—
I have had some problems with fit for PollyWog® shoe inserts and now my first pair of JumpStart® products. These, of course, are not custom made, but some ideas to help with the fit would be great.
—Ramping Up

Dear Ramping—
The most common fit problems we encounter for these products are “too short” and “too narrow”. The best way to avoid fit problems is to measure carefully. Here’s how.

To get the right size, have the patient stand (in weight bearing, if possible) on the floor in socks without her shoe or DAFO on, to get an accurate measure.

• With the patient standing on a plain piece of paper, trace the outline of her foot. Measure the overall length and the width at the met heads, in inches, and write it on the order form. —or—

• Stand the patient on the FastFit Sizing Jig with her heel touching the back and medial sides along the inside border. Read the size after adding ¼ to ½ in. growth allowance. Growth allowance is based on the child’s age and current rate of growth. The lateral side has a width scale. —or—

• If you have the Cascade PollyEthyl casting footplates, use them, again allowing for some growth room. The advantage to using the footplates is that when you’re debating between two sizes, the arch contours can help you break a tie. The narrow footplate translates to a medium FastFit product; wide translates to wide.

Once you settle on a measuring technique that works, stick by it and don’t change.

Note: The Cascade FastFit Sizing Jig is free; you have only to ask Customer Service.

If you find that a PollyWog or JumpStart you have ordered and received doesn’t fit right, measure the patient’s foot again using the tips above. If you find a different size would work better, you can return the unworn FastFit product (HotDog, PollyWog or JumpStart) as long as you haven’t made any alterations to it, under our 30-day fit and function guarantee.

And if you’re still unsure about measuring or fit, you can always call Customer Service or Tech Support (800/848-7332).

—DAFO Dynamo