Therapy explained
What is Apexi Dynaflex casting — and how can it help my child?
A cast your child can walk in? Yes, really. How our gentle, functional soft-casting method corrects alignment while your child keeps standing, stepping and practising — and how it differs from classic serial casting.
When parents hear the word "cast", they picture six weeks of immobility. Apexi Dynaflex Casting (ADC) is the opposite idea: a light, semi-rigid soft cast designed for active functional correction — your child keeps standing, walking and practising while the cast quietly does its work. Here's how it works, who it helps, and how it fits into therapy at our centre.
What is Apexi Dynaflex casting?
ADC is a gentle, functional soft-cast method used in paediatric physiotherapy. Unlike classic Apexi Serial Casting (ASC), which works through sustained passive muscle stretch, Dynaflex focuses on active functional correction of movement. The cast stays semi-rigid and light — so everyday life, and therapy, carry on.
How does it work?
First, our specialist team assesses the mobility and alignment of the affected joint. The foot is then guided into a functionally optimal position, and a light, semi-rigid cast — fibreglass bandage, soft padding and a special foam — is applied by a therapist and orthopaedic technician together. It typically stays on for two to three weeks, renewed weekly, while your child trains actively in it.
Who is it for?
ADC particularly suits children with
- Toe walking
- A mild crouch gait
- Muscular imbalances without fixed contractures
- Mild cerebral palsy
- Posture and balance difficulties
Dynaflex vs. serial casting
Both are casting methods — but they solve different problems:
- Goal: Dynaflex aims for functional correction and muscle activation; serial casting for gentle, sustained muscle lengthening.
- Material: Dynaflex uses a semi-rigid, flexible cast; serial casting a firm, stable one.
- Everyday movement: in a Dynaflex cast your child can stand, walk and practise; a serial cast restricts movement by design.
- Duration: Dynaflex usually means one cast for one to three weeks; serial casting runs three to six weeks with three to four cast changes.
Which one your child needs depends on whether the limitation is functional or structural — that's exactly what the initial assessment establishes.
How we use ADC — and what it achieves
ADC is never a stand-alone fix; it's part of a holistic plan built within ORCA — Objective Reasoning & Clinical Architecture, our clinical framework — and it often runs inside an intensive therapy block — the cast aligns while the therapy activates. The typical journey: analysis and consultation, cast application with our orthopaedic technology partners, two to three weeks of active training in the cast, then removal and transition into follow-on therapy.
- Better foot alignment
- Active muscle work — no muscle wasting
- Support for a healthier gait pattern
- Gentle and genuinely liveable day to day
And because parents are part of the plan, our team shows you simple, targeted home exercises that amplify the cast's effect and help the gains stick.
"The best cast is the one your child forgets about — because they're too busy moving."
— The Apexa therapy teamCosts, and when ADC makes sense
ADC costs approximately 450–550 CHF per limb per casting cycle. That includes the orthopaedic examination, materials, cast application by therapist and orthopaedic technician together, and ongoing guidance — usually across four appointments: an initial consultation, two therapy sessions and a final review. See our fees page for the wider picture.
When is it the right call? If your child's gait or posture is limited but there is no fixed contracture or structural deformity, Dynaflex casting can be a valuable boost — especially combined with intensive movement therapy. Unsure which side of that line your child is on? Ask us — an honest assessment costs nothing.
