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Got an Email yesterday from a person questioning if this device is any good.

Gave the patient a response about depending on the cause of deformity and ligament changes etc, but then thought I would ask anyone come across this one before.

Hullafix bunion brace

 

Hi Michael

I have came across this brace once! About 4 month ago I recomended this to a pacient of mine, she is a young girl (12 years old) with HAV deformaty in booth Halluxs, I recomende this because it can be used during the day inside her shoe when she is more active.
She came back last month for her routine consultation and her deviation of the 1º MPJ has decreases about 2 degrees which made me pretty happy!

Here is an article about this split... http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_200903/ai_n31399706/

Hope it helps!

Regards
André

 

anDRe:

"She came back last month for her routine consultation and her deviation of the 1º MPJ has decreases about 2 degrees which made me pretty happy"

I would be interested in knowing how you measured this. Was this X-Ray or clinical?

Steve

 

I never found these appliances of any therapeutic use. Given the patient profile - 12 year old girl, bilateral HAV deformity - suggests a strong hereditary cause of the condition and there would be reversion to the deformity on cessation of the bracing.

 

I have two pts currently trying this for pain reduction and alignment improvement. After a botched attempt (due to neither pt using the device as per instructions) we seem to be making head way. Both claim reduction in "end fo day" pain (0-10 pain scale down 2 points), managing longer before pain arises. Clinical measurement has not produced visible improvement yet but its been four months. One pt is mid 40, theother mid 50. I had tried night splints with them before with little to no results. They find it use friendly and prefer it to taping on a daily basis.

 

Dr. Sarbes

I assessed the developments in this case with the help of x-ray, where I measure four angles associated with HAV deformaty:

- Metatarsalphalangeal angle of the 1st ray
- The intermetatarsal angle
- PASA (Proximal Articular Set Angle)
- DASA (Distal Articular Set Angle)

Regards
André

 

I have used these devices on a few occassions with quite reasonable success. I do however not recommend them with the intention of improving any HAV deformity. THey are recommended on the basis of pain reduction & possibility of decreasing progression of the condition. Generally I recommend the patient wear the devices from early evening to morning. They will have a few hours on a functional basis with ambulation then left on over night. As much as they advertise fitting them into f/w I still find this difficult & cumbersome. I have not kept any statistical figures but generally they have seen significnat decreases in pain levels and in terms of slowing progression only time may tell. I feel I will need to monitor more specifically with xray analysis from now on to get better indication.

 

Andre:
Do you have an idea what the standard error might be for your measurements taken off an x-ray?
Steve