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The TayCo Brace Reduces Recovery Time and Increases Quality of Life For Older Patients

September 15, 2018 | By: Nate Lazenga

The TayCo External Ankle brace significantly reduces recovery time, while increasing mobility and quality of life for patients after a significant ankle injury. This is especially true in elderly patients. In the past, walking boots are the default prescription of an ankle injury. Walking boots are heavy, cumbersome, and limited in mobility. The TayCo Brace is a paradigm shift in ankle injury recovery, by reducing muscle loss and increasing functional mobility. Here is one woman’s story where the TayCo External Ankle Brace significantly increased the quality of life during recovery.

After spending the morning in her garden, Margaret, a 75-year-old woman, misjudged a step on her porch and sustained a significant ankle fracture (lateral malleolar). Within 24 hours, she was in the hospital, undergoing Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF) surgery. After discharge, Margaret spent 2 weeks in a posterior plaster splint then 3 weeks in a short leg cast.

Fortunately for Margaret, her physician recently started prescribing the TayCo External Ankle Brace, as part of the recovery plan after ORIF surgery. Because of this revolutionary new brace, she remained independent, minimized the loss of muscle mass, and functionally recovered while working in her garden only 10 weeks after the accident.

Other patients with the same injury were not so lucky. Before the TayCo Brace, she would have been prescribed a 3.5 lb walking boot that is extremely difficult to lift and maneuver. 5 weeks after the injury, the patient would be encouraged to move as much as possible in the boot, to start building muscles and regaining independence. However, because of the boot’s weight and size, it is impossible for elder people to move around with that strapped to their leg. The leg length imbalance often causes knee or back pain. A wheel chair is often required which further weakens all lower extremity muscles. This often resulted in the patient’s loss of independence and being admitted into a nursing home for 12 weeks for physical therapy.

Fortunately, this was not Margaret’s fate. 5 weeks after the fall, the cast was removed, and she started her functional recovery in a “fixed joint” TayCo Brace. This allowed her to wear her own comfortable footwear and she stayed out of the wheelchair because of the lightweight construction of the TayCo Brace (12 oz vs 3.5 lbs). 5 weeks after surgery, she could be seen at the grocery store, using a walker for additional support. 10 weeks after surgery, she was encouraged to start muscle rehab of the joint and eliminate stiffness; the TayCo Brace was converted to Range of Motion (ROM) to allow for movement of the joint. The TayCo External Ankle brace allowed Margaret to continue functional recovery by walking with the support of the brace and stop the muscle atrophy.

10 weeks after surgery, she went back to one of her favorite activities and tended to those weeds that started invading her garden. She remained fully independent in the ROM TayCo Brace for another 4 weeks; then was able to return to her normal active daily lifestyle as before the accident without any aides.

The TayCo external ankle brace gave Margaret her life back faster while remaining fully independent, both physically and emotionally. It dramatically increased her quality of life and kept her from depression often associated with assisted living care. To find out more, contact your doctor or one of our sales representatives at 877-322-3876 for more information.