Clare
POA Success Stories
Clare
Everyone could easily see how much the C-Brace improved her walking and how little energy she required to do so.
Clare came to POA in 2017 looking to improve her orthotic care. Clare was in a severe car accident in 2015, which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. Clare has made incredible progress relearning so much after her injury. Clare is very active and loves trips to the lake, going shopping, and hanging out with friends.
Clare came to POA in 2017 looking to improve her orthotic care. Clare was in a severe car accident in 2015, which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. Clare has made incredible progress relearning so much after her injury. Clare is very active and loves trips to the lake, going shopping, and hanging out with friends.
Clare historically has used traditional orthotic devices for helping her walk, including an AFO and a KAFO. Clare has an excellent support system who is always looking at what technologies and therapies are available to help Clare continue to excel. Her mother approached us about considering an Ottobock C-Brace for Clare. Although Clare did not fit into the “typical” category of patients that use this device, we believe that is could still improve her balance and ambulation. Clare did a demo fit and the results were immediate! You could easily see how much it improved her walking. It took significantly less energy for Clare to walk.
Here’s what Ottobock has to say about the C-Brace:
“The microprocessor-controlled C-Brace leg orthosis opens up entirely new possibilities for freedom of movement. Sitting down in a controlled manner, going up and down slopes and inclines, walking on uneven terrain, and going down the stairs one foot at a time, step-over-step—the C-Brace is the first to make this all possible.
The new sensor technology makes the entire gait pattern even more dynamic and responsive. Additionally, the C-Brace responds to everyday situations in real-time ensuring the safety, stability, and confidence in users everyday lives. The user can also change settings on their joint—such as switching to cycling mode—using a smartphone app.”
Here at POA, we are all about the data! Because Clare had previously used an AFO, a KAFO, and now a C-Brace for her mobility, we wanted to see how much support each device gave back to Clare.
We utilized the G-WALK system from BTS Bioengineering to help analyze Clare’s gait. It was evident that she progressively walked better with each device, but we wanted to have a great understanding of how much it improved her walking.
Here’s what BTS-Bioengineering has to say about their G-WALK system:
“The G-WALK is a wearable device which is housed in a specialized belt; the patient is completely free to walk, run and jump. The sensor sends all data to a computer connected via Bluetooth; at the end of each analysis an automatic report containing all the parameters recorded during the test, is displayed.”
When analyzing the results from the G-WALK system, it was clear that this technology was a true success for Clare. In the AFO, she walked with a 58% gait symmetry index and a 79% quality walking index. When she put her KAFO on, slight improvements were seen and she ambulated with a 71% gait symmetry index and an 83% quality walking index. With her C-Brace on, the results are undeniable: her gait symmetry index is now at 97% and her quality walking index is at 98%! This is an efficiency improvement of almost 40% for her gait symmetry index and 20% for her quality walking index. This is a direct improvement to her quality of life and energy efficiency in walking.
Without the C-Brace, Clare has little confidence in the strength of her right leg to keep her from buckling and falling and, by default, walks with a stiff leg. With the C-Brace, Clare has confidence in the technology to support her body weight and resist any buckling tendency.
Clare has put almost 500,000 steps on her C-Brace in just 6 months! That almost 250 miles of walking! Clare is such a motivation to us all, and her hard work has not gone unnoticed. We are so excited to keep up with your success story!
Clare has put almost 500,000 steps on her C-Brace in just 6 months! That almost 250 miles of walking!
