{"id":11891,"date":"2025-03-28T21:21:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T21:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2025\/?p=11891"},"modified":"2025-05-01T18:53:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T17:53:00","slug":"learning-to-walk-again-orthoses-for-spinal-cord-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2025\/2025\/03\/28\/learning-to-walk-again-orthoses-for-spinal-cord-injury\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning to Walk Again: Orthoses for Spinal Cord Injury"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) can impair an individual’s ability to interact with the physical world. As a nerve pathway to and from the brain, the spinal cord plays a crucial role in muscle control. In 2014, my mum suffered an incomplete SCI following a cycling accident, leaving her partially paralysed from the waist down.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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https:\/\/www.spinalcord.com\/incomplete-spinal-cord-injury<\/sub><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attending the workshop ‘Practical Prostheses’ opened my eyes to the world of prosthesis and orthosis. We categorised devices as either replacements (prostheses) or modifications (orthoses) of different body parts. At the time, my mind wandered to the devices my mum used during her recovery. I remember being torn how some of her devices would be categorised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I then realised how I have been quite ignorant to the importance of my mum’s orthotics. I had been viewing them simply as objects, without considering the ingenuity behind their design, or their significance to my mum. I took it upon myself to take a deeper dive into spinal orthoses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Orthotics for SCI – Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Typically, orthotics for SCI are external devices, which support the spinal column during rehabilitation. They also are used to position or enhance the function of a hand, arm, or leg. Below are some examples (click the arrows for more).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spinal Brace<\/summary>\n
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Generally, a spinal brace immobilises the injured spinal segment, allowing the tissues to heal. My mum’s injury was thoracic (T4-T6 vertebrae), and thus her brace was a Cruciform anterior spinal hyperextension (CASH) brace (right). This brace limits the flexion from T6 to L1, but not lateral bending and rotation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel that this highlights the importance of compromise when it comes to designing orthotics – one should only limit what is necessary, to ensure the best wellbeing for the patient.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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https:\/\/www.chaneco.co.uk\/product\/cash-brace\/<\/sup><\/sub><\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

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Ankle-foot Orthosis (AFO)<\/summary>\n
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AFOs are particularly useful for patients who still retain a level of ambulation. They assist the ankle and allow the foot to clear the ground during the swing phase of walking. The particular model my mum uses (TurboMed XTERN) is shown below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My mum’s AFO…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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…in action<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Below is a video from TurboMed which puts the importance of this orthotic into perspective:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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