Nicholas got his Theratogs today. The theratogs are a nylon and spandex undergarment. It is similar to the material a wet suit is made out of. Nicholas has low tone in his truck which means his back is very weak. His back in in a thoracolumbar kyphosis position which is basically curved forward. The orthotist explained that if he stays in that position his vertebrae will move and become wedged with the top of the vertebrae moving downward and the bottom of the vertebrae moving upward. That is bad and hopefully the Theratogs will help correct that. It is a vest and a set of straps. One strap goes from his shoulders down to his thighs and it pulls his back into an upward position. The other set of straps goes from his shoulder blade to the bottom of his back to correct and help the muscles in the middle of his back. Theratogs are a slow correction device and it can take about 4-6 months to get full improvement. The orthotist estimated the his back was 12 degrees straighter with the Theratogs on. He said that as little as 5-7 degrees straighter is good so 12 degrees is great. He has to wear them for 4 hours a day for the first few days then when we see his physical therapist on Tuesday she can decide if we should increase how long he wears it.
This week he had early intervention, PT and OT. He did really well during both therapies. He rolled from stomach to back for the first time during OT. He also went to the Pulmonologist. His lungs sound great and he goes back in 3 months. The doctor wants to keep him on Flovent until his next appointment then he might not need it anymore.
His hearing aid appointment had to be rescheduled because his audiologist has a death in the family. His new appointment is Dec. 31.
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