What is your experience with the Dynasplint?

[momgg1]

Where are you located? Our Children's Hosp. uses ultraflex but their unit was too big in the upper portion for our 4 year old. I think you would be wise to check w/ local hospitals. Good luck!

I am interested in other people's experiences w/ Dynasplint, if they care to share. Thanks!

[admin]

Greetings all!

I am a representative from Dynasplint in Southeast Texas. I make a habit of searching for our product name online to see what is being said and I have found it very interesting the ways our product comes up.
I found this message thread and wanted to respond to a few issues you had.

For those of you who felt that you had poor customer service or support, I am very sorry. That can be very frustrating especially when it is your child that is involved.

I will agree that many of us working with the Dynasplint are not "orthotist", however the majority of us are OT/PT/AT or have patient care clinical backgrounds. We also receive a huge amount of training in the proper use and application of the Dynasplint, to the tune of over 200 hours the first year alone.
I think there is something to be said for the fact that Dynamic splinting is all we do, and have been doing for almost 25 years, and that the owner of the company is a Physical Therapist.
From my experience, we can help nearly anyone with a limited range of motion, as long as they are cleared by their physician for range of motion exercises and don't have fractures that are still unstable. Our splints come in two lines of range of motion, so we can accommodate nearly anyone including those who need those last few degrees of range.
I do in fact work with many children, as a Neurological Rep. and I can tell you that it is a challenge. I work very closely with my OT and PT's at the child's clinic to make sure that the custom fit of the Dynasplint is just right, and then after with them and the parents to insure that the protocols that we create together are complied with and that the child's safety and comfort are protected. Not all of the kids I treat wear their splints while sleeping, and I ask about the sleep habits of those who do. I stress positioning as a very important factor, because many of the kids I work with have neurological tone as well.

The fact is, Dynasplint does work very well, and with a team approach of the Parents, Therapist, Physician, and Dynasplint Representative, we achieve incredible results every day.

I have also seen many post mention that Dynasplint is "Very Expensive". I beg to differ, with respect of course. Dynasplint has been proven to actually save patients money over time, by reducing rehabilitation time and expense. For the patients that I see, most of them have very little to pay after insurance covers their part. As a rental it is very cost effective, because the patient only pays their portion as long as they need it and then they are done. As a form of at home therapy, we are talking usually less than a dollar per hour. For kids I think it's great because we have a 2 year growth program, and the splint is adjustable over time to be adjusted for growth. I know many others cant attest to that. I do a lot of padding changes, and strap replacements and adjustments as a normal part of my patient following, and this cost the family nothing. If the child needs a larger splint within the first year, we swap the units and do another custom fitting. If this occurs in the second year, we merely charge the equivalent of about 1 months rental for an exchange and refitting. After that, insurance will usually cover the cost of another Dynasplint.

This is also why Dynasplint works with your physician or therapist to get the necessary approvals or pre-certifications forst, so that there are no surprises about what your insurance will cover and what if any your co-payment will be. Dealing with insurance companies is always a challenge, especially for medical equipment. That's why Dynasplint has a whole department just for that purpose, to educate and inform insurance companies about Dynasplint. Once they see how much Dynasplint helps their patients, and how it actually saves them money over time, they usually approve the system.

I provide a great deal of service and support to my patients. A Dynasplint isn't something we place on you and go away. I know that I would like to be a very active participant in my patients care and progress for the long term. I make frequent calls to family, I follow-up with therapist, I visit patients at home, and I visit physicians offices to discuss the best possible application and progression of the splints use for my patients. I measure the results over time and provide those results to all involved, including the insurance companies.

If we are criticized for anything, it is for providing too much support, which has actually happened to me.

I would like you to also consider another issue, and that is safety. Can the orthotist or representative of these other splints tell you exactly the forces applied to your joint, or your child's joint at any given time? I know that Dynasplint is highly calibrated and that the pounds of force are adjustable and reproducible. Do they have protocols for adaptation and adjustment, so that the forces are tolerated and built up over time? This is important, because the last thing you want is inflammation of that joint, this can actually reduce your range of motion in a process called "ratcheting."

I hope that you can relate to the sincerity with which I am writing all of this. I am very committed to my patients success and care, and I know that every one I have met at Dynasplint is too. I have seen this product help a great deal of people, and I am excited to be doing what I do. Personally, I never liked sales people, and never wanted to be one. That's not what Dynasplint is about. Yes it's a business, and we have bills to pay too, but from the president to the local representative, our focus is on helping our patients get better, in the most scientifically advanced, comfortable, and safe way possible.

For those of you in Southeast Texas, I would encourage you to give me a call at (866) 902-9598. For those of you who are not, please also let me know where in the country you are and I will attempt to help you get to the right person.

Thank you!

[admin]

Momgg1,

We have, and I hope my long winded response on this board gets posted soon. I am so sorry you had that experience.

I would love to talk with you about all of this, although I am only a local representative in Southeast Texas. Please feel free to give me a call at (866) 902-9598.

Thanks,

[admin]

I know a mom whose 3 year old had an ultraflex and he's a teeny tiny one.

[Allison]

My son was using an ultra flex since he was around 16 months old for an elbow contracture. He was fitted for it by our local orthotist, it was tiny and very light. We had no problems with it until he reached 3 (this was the second one he was fitted for) it even came with a supinator attachment. He would try to pull it off when we were using it for night splinting. I was afraid he was going to pull his humeral head out of socket. This was after his caps surgery. So we stopped using it for awhile and continued with NMES and MFR. The contracture became worse of course. It seems to me, in our case. Even with the splint on 24/7 when he was little, and then night time later on, it didn't account for the other amount of hours in the day the opposing muscles were pulling. The contracture just stayed, its almost as if it was locked up, we could only range him so far. He recently had the BTL procedure. He's still casted.

[momgg1]

Trent,

I left my home number on your voicemail today. I would be happy to speak to you regarding my experience with Dynasplint. I appreciate the information. I was informed by the territory manager that I would be charged a $250 "refurbishing fee" each time the unit needed to be refitted regardless of the timeframe....I rec'd the information regarding the two year time period only after many phone calls. I finally spoke to Mr. Silva (I believe he is the Director of Sales)who provided my the information. I hope your information is shared with many others. I look forward to hearing from you.