MCOP is excited to announce the availability of the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic Mobility System. For people used to locked knee braces and traditional KAFOs, the Orthotronic provides a welcome improvement in a person’s ability to walk more naturally.
For many, the focus and attention required to use locked out braces made walking an unnatural or unpleasant endeavor. The most impactful benefit of the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic is the confidence that comes with more freedom. The Orthotronic Mobility System reduces the attention required for daily tasks, like stepping down from the curb. Beyond that, the C-Brace Orthotronic also opens up new worlds of possibility for people with lower-limb mobility issues.
One woman, Stacey Kozel, is using her newfound mobility to demonstrate the dramatic positive effect the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic has had on her life. After her lupus acted up she lost lower limb muscle function. She found that the best option for her was the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic, however, her insurance company didn’t cover the cost. To raise awareness about this, Stacey Kozel is hiking all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail using her C-Brace Orthotronic System.
Even if your day-to-day doesn’t involve thousand mile hikes, the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic can still have dramatic effects. One of our patients at MCOP, Natasha, suffered a spinal cord injury from a horse racing accident. As a result, her right leg was paralyzed from the hip down and she had weakness in her left leg. Before the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic Mobility System, Natasha used an AFO on her left side and a KAFO on her right leg.
The KAFO prevented hyperextension in her knee and provided extension assistance to help stabilize her knee. Despite this Natasha had to use forearm crutches and prevent her knee from buckling by adopting an unnatural posture and balance of her weight. These drawbacks resulted in her feeling uncomfortable walking without her significant other by her side and prevented her from shopping or going to work on a number of occasions.
Initially, Natasha was resistant to trying the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic Mobility System. She had seen such marked improvement from her previous KAFO to her current KAFO that she felt she didn’t need anything more. However, after two weeks in the C-Brace Orthotronic, she was a completely different person. She was taking the subway to work and shopping by herself, without relying on her significant other for safety support. Natasha was also able to replace her forearm crutches with a cane. Her latest report is that all is well and she continues to love the freedom of mobility that the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic has afforded her.
After seeing these kinds of results, MCOP is excited to recommend the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic Mobility System to appropriate candidates. MCOP is also proud to be conducting clinical research on the benefits of the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic, with the ultimate goal of making it reimbursable by Medicare and more private insurance companies. From our research to date–and from the incredible stories we’ve heard from people like Stacey Kozel and Natasha–the Ottobock C-Brace Orthotronic has proven to be a superior alternative to canes, locked knee KAFOs and braces, and sometimes wheelchairs.