• Have an OI Child
• Locating a Doctor
• Taking Care
• Recognizing Fractures
• Independence
• Mobility Aids
• Schooling
• Parents with OI

One of the best ways for a child to achieve independence and confidence is through increased mobility. There are many aids available for helping children achieve maximum mobility. The aids you choose will depend on the severity of the child’s condition, the child’s muscle strength and gross motor skills, and the recommendations of your physician, physical therapist, or occupational therapist.

Scooters :

A scooter is a formed plastic or padded wooden board with four casters on the bottom. The child lies on his or her stomach and uses hands and knees to propel him- or herself along the floor.

Riding toys :
There are many inexpensive riding toys on the market. Fisher Price makes a number of small tricycles that can be easily adapted with seat belts, wooden blocks on the pedals for short legs, and back supports for trunk stability. Be sure to choose a tricycle that does not tip easily.

Wheelchairs :
There are many excellent wheelchairs available for children. Consult your hospital supply store or your therapists concerning your child’s specific needs.

Be sure to consider the seat width and look for the most lightweight wheelchair available that meets your child’s needs. Many attractive electric wheelchairs are on the market today. Naturally, they are much more expensive than a standard wheelchair and are more cumbersome. However, there are some who believe that the benefits of the enlarged world that is opened up to a child in an electric wheelchair exceeds the loss of muscle tone and development that the child could achieve through pushing a manual wheelchair. It has been found that immobilization of Children with OI, either after a fracture or for fear of inflicting new fractures, causes additional osteoporosis (or increased bone brittleness) and muscle wasting because of disuse. These conditions also lead to more fractures.

Exercises :

Never attempt to limit your child’s spontaneous movement, because any activity will aid in muscle and bone strengthening.

As soon as your child’s medical condition permits, you can encourage a full range of exercises, including swimming and weight bearing exercises. Exercise can range from kicking and splashing in the bathtub to a full exercise program implemented by a physical therapist. Weight bearing can begin with propped sitting, head lifting, and partial weight bearing in the upper arms, and can advance to standing and walking.

Swimming is the safest and most valuable exercise for children with OI, and should be encouraged as soon as possible.

Bracing :
When your child appears ready to stand, you might consider lightweight, containment-type braces for him or her. Braces are initially used with a standing frame or standing table. These devices hold the child who is wearing the braces upright in a standing position. It is hoped that standing will lead to strengthening of the child’s fragile bones and, possibly, to long bone growth, thus providing the opportunity for these extremely short children to achieve a little more height.

Walking :
Seeing their child walk is a goal for many parents of a child with OI. Because of the different levels of severity of OI, it is very difficult to predict what lies ahead for your child. There are many people with OI who are capable of walking independently for long distances, and others who are able to get in and out of their wheelchairs and walk on a more limited basis. There are others who, even after years of braces, surgery, and physical therapy, are still unable to walk. The advisable course is for you to proceed as if walking is attainable. Yet it is important to be accepting of whatever your child is able to achieve. Have faith in your child and allow him or her to take the risks necessary to achieve as much independent mobility as possible; love him or her no matter what he or she can accomplish.