The Iowa Brace

The brace consists of a pair of specially designed shoes, each fastened to a plastic platform, which is then attached to the ends of a detachable positioning bar.
The platforms and bar are injection molded of fiber-reinforced nylon, making them lightweight, safe for use with children, nearly indestructible, potentially reusable, and relatively low-cost.

Although the platforms are identical, the design allows them to:

• Be used with either the right or left foot;
• Hold the foot at an angle of either 60 degrees (clubfoot) or 30 degrees (normal foot);
• Accommodate different size shoes as the child grows; and
• Be easily detached from the positioning bar.

A soft, molded insert holds the child’s foot inside the shoe and helps prevent skin irritations.
A padded tongue and fabric straps assure comfort and prevent skin problems. The open-toe design allows for growth between changes in shoe size.

Other important features of the Iowa brace include:

• Use of state-of-the-art breathable materials to control heat build-up and the resulting discomfort and skin irritation;
• Available in twelve sizes, US children’s size 000 to US children’s size 9;
• Shoes are delivered with an appropriately-sized platform, which is easily reversible to standard angles of either 30 degrees (non-clubfoot side) or 60 degrees (clubfoot side), accommodating right, left, or bilateral clubfoot conditions;
• Positioning bars have a built-in angle of 15 degrees of dorsiflexion on each end and are provided in one of three lengths, depending on the size of the shoes:
  Sizes 000 through 3 = 8 inch bar
  Sizes 4 through 6 = 10 inch bar
  Sizes 7 through 9 = 12 inch bar
• Ease by which parents can put on and take off the brace;
• Release button which is not easily activated by young patients;
• Good soil resistance and ease of cleansing.