A pair of wheels is very important when in spica and it is one of the questions that pops up most frequently following hip dysplasia surgery is ‘ what pushchair works well for children in a spica cast? Or what spica cast stroller should I get for my toddler when recovering from DDH?
What pushchair works when in spica cast?
There is no easy answer and it may involve some trial and error as the spica cast can be set at so many different angles.
The shape of your child’s cast is determined by the surgeon and what position gets the hip in the right place. When you have a younger child in a spica cast your normal pushchair or pram will frequently do the job.
You may need to put some rolled up blankets under the legs to give them some support but more often than not you will not need to change your wheels after hip dysplasia surgery.
It gets trickier when you have an older child because their legs will hang out or over more. This can be problematic especially when a cyclist whizzes past thinking the child will move their legs and realising too late that legs in spica don’t move – yes that happened to us after hip dysplasia surgery!
My first piece of advice would be to speak to your local occupational health team and ask what they have available for your child in a Spica cast. I do know that some hospitals have car seats and buggies to loan. An older child and I’m talking three plus is likely to benefit most from a chunc wheelchair. There is a chair available for loan from an amazing group of parents who raised enough money to buy one. Do contact me if this is required and I can put you in touch with the right person. I have nothing to do with the loaning out I just know some of the amazing people involved!
The hospital should be able to have a children’s OT that can come and assess your pushchair for you. I was offered a standard pushchair for Erin from occupational health but it was no better than our own pushchair, plus it was a bit tatty and tired looking. Therefore I played about with ours. I owned both a basic kick and flick buggy at that point and also a Quinny xtra. I loved my Quinny and used it plenty but it just didn’t work for us after hip dysplasia surgery. An OT came to the ward and looked at how they could best support Erin before we left. She then came out again to our house to see how we were getting on.
Examples of pushchairs for children in spica casts
The Quinny Xtra
As I’ve already touched on this specific pushchair didn’t work for us after DDH surgery because Erin was wide. It meant I could not sit her far back in the seat due to its triangular shape.
The Graco Ugo
This is a rather basic pushchair that I refer to as a kick and flick buggy. This accommodated Erin but her legs were set very wide in spica cast number two. This meant that she got knocked on more than one occasion as people passed us. You can see in the picture just how wide she is. I put a small cushion in the small of her back for comfort but didn’t do anything for the legs.
Emmalijunga twin stroller
As the weather was turning cold and Erin still had over three months to go in spica I bought an Emmalijunga twin. This was great for the school run as we walked Dyl to school. It is a double but has no middle bit so Erin was able to sit in the centre. I rigged up the straps so that she was secure. This pram is a big ole beast and heavy but kept her warm and dry.
The disadvantage is using it in the shops!
Salters Osteotomy aftercare
Spica four and five after the salters osteotomy was a smaller cast and so we went back to using the Graco. This is Erin watching the Olympic torch relay. Little did we know that six weeks later she would be having her pins out the day the torch came to the ward!
From this you can see that it will be a case of trial and error with finding the best stroller for your child in a spica cast… what you are already using will more then likely do the job with a few cushions or rolled up blankets!
One Response
Hi Emma,
My 3, soon to be 4 grandson is having a spica cast fitted today and I wondered if you could forward me details of the Chunc wheelchair you mentioned for hire?
Many thanks, your blog has been most helpful.
God Bless.
Beverley