Prosthetics and Orthotics for Children

LeTourneau KIDS Offers Excellence In Pediatric Prosthetics And Orthotics

Let’s face it. Nothing stirs up more deep-felt compassion than the sight of a child who needs prosthetic or orthotic care. How much more than when it’s our son or daughter?

LeTourneau & Family Orthotics and Prosthetics is pleased to announce LeTourneau KIDS. LeTourneau KIDS strives to provide good answers to all the questions a parent or child may have when getting on the road to recovery.

They aim to be the leader in children’s prosthetics and orthotics.

“Those are our kids, too,” says Tom LeTourneau, whose company has helped countless infants, children, adolescents as well as teens overcome physical disabilities over the years. “We basically adopt all the kids who need our services. Our motto for all pediatric cases is, ‘Let’s face it …  TOGETHER.’ We want to be there for the long haul and help our kids reach their full potential.”

Through advanced technology, an intra-team discipline and more than 125 years of combined experience, LeTourneau KIDS offers the best pediatric prosthetic and orthotic program available anywhere in the world. The company provides:

• Lower limb prosthetics
• Advanced upper limb prosthetics
• Orthotics
• Specialized bracing for childhood conditions (including club foot, drop foot, C.P., hip dysplasia and scoliosis)

“Quality pediatric prosthetic and orthotic care requires a specialized approach due to the fact that kids are still growing and communication may be limited,” says Tom. “Very often this all boils down to more office visits and greater observation. A prosthesis for a child should never be just a scaled down version of an adult prosthesis. It should be a durable, carefully constructed solution made just for them.”

Just one of the groundbreaking prosthetic developments for children is The ElectroHand 2000, which isn’t just a smaller version of the original myoelectric controlled System Electric Hand. It’s a completely new development made exclusively for kids. LeTourneau KIDS offers many such advancements.

The ultimate goal of the pediatric prosthetic and orthotic programs offered at LeTourneau KIDS is a happy child that is able to participate in life to his or her absolute best ability.

Please call LeTourneau KIDS today for your free consultation.

Meet One of LeTourneau’s Kids

Bryce W. is an all-American kid whose idyllic childhood was interrupted by the cruel reality of cancer. On a long-awaited family trip to Walt Disney World in 2009, Bryce, then 8, suddenly could not walk due to pain in his left leg. A few days later, his stunned parents heard for the first time a word that would soon change their lives… osteosarcoma.

Less than four months later, the third-grader and his family learned another new word… disarticulation, as a surgeon amputated his left leg through the knee to prevent the malignancy from spreading.

There followed 12 more rounds of chemotherapy (he’d had six previously), additional surgery on his amputated limb and at length transition to a prosthetic leg.

In the two years since his diagnosis, Bryce spent 99 nights in the hospital. The nightmare began to subside upon completion of chemo. With return visits to his prosthetic team and learning to walk again with the aid of parallel bars, Bryce began to gain control of and confidence in his new limb. An active boy in the 99th percentile in height and weight for his age, he requires a sturdy componentry set and still keeps his prosthetist busy.

Eighteen months after receiving his first prosthesis, Bryce, now 11, is making up for lost time. He wears his leg 12 hours a day, runs, rides his bike and plays soccer and drums. Not surprisingly, he is already on his third leg and has gone through three prosthetic feet and two knees… because he wears them out.

Bryce’s rehabilitation has been assisted by various national and community organizations that support those with physical challenges. In mid-2011, he attended a camp sponsored by the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). Initially adamant about not attending, he was equally upset at having to leave after an “awesome” experience.

While not every pediatric amputee is able to do as well as Bryce, it is most rewarding to prosthetic practitioners when we can help achieve outcomes that are this positive. He still has the occasional not-so-good day on his prosthesis, but the trend is steadily upward.

More importantly, he once again has a promising future ahead of him, and he and his family have their lives back.