Pediatrics More Than Just Small Adults

Fitting children with prostheses and orthoses is significantly different than serving adults with similar needs, and our professional staff at Snell Prosthetics & Orthotics embraces and addresses that difference with a specialized approach to pediatric care. Like adults, no two children are alike–each has their own story, their own unique physical and emotional makeup and their own social needs. But unlike most adults, children are not yet equipped with the experience, knowledge, emotional maturity and physical stamina to respond to a medical issue in the same way; so we strive to customize a more sensitive and caring relationship as well as a prosthetic or orthotic solution designed especially for each child. We work with pediatricians, occupational and physical therapists, and other caregivers to achieve the best possible outcomes for each child we serve.

From newborns to adolescents, and whether the issue is a birth defect, injury, or illness, Snell practitioners stand ready to deliver a full range of quality pediatric care. The process begins with a thorough pediatric evaluation, which includes garnering all available information from the child’s physicians and therapists. Based upon our assessment and data, we are then able to formulate a plan of care that includes precisely measuring our patient to guarantee they receive the best fit as well as the most appropriate device possible. Measurements can be done in the form of casting, numerical measurements, or digital scans of the affected area. Your practitioner’s experience and judgment guides them in choosing the most effective measuring methodology for each child.

Based on those measurements, the definitive prosthesis or orthosis can then be fitted to the child. Once we are satisfied with the fit, the patient, along with their parents, will be instructed on how to wear and care for their new device. 

For some, the fitting of the device might be regarded as the final step in the process of caring for a patient; for us, it’s just the beginning. To Snell professionals, prosthetic and orthotic care represents a lifetime commitment to caring for each child as he grows, for as long as such care is needed. Our practitioners frequently sit in on rehabilitation sessions to make sure the device is working as it should, so that your child can progress as rapidly as possible. Our focus is on not only recognizing and addressing problems as they arise, but anticipating and preventing them.

Your child’s success in reaching their goal depends not only on the right prosthesis or orthosis, but on the right rehabilitation team and the right ongoing care, based on an attentive, dedicated partnership we share with others committed to your child’s progress. This traditional Snell philosophy has earned us the trust of generations of young patients whose accomplishments we continue to treasure.