Oct 11, 2017AT Designs Unique Brace
The TayCo External Ankle Brace, a new device designed by Mike Bean, MS, ATC, Associate Athletic Trainer for the University of Notre Dame, presents a new possibility for athletes — an ankle brace that fits outside the wearer’s shoe. According to wndu.com, Bean came up with the idea in response to football coaches and players complaining about not being able to get back into games after spraining their ankles. Bean’s partner, Fred Ferlic, MD, an Orthopedic Surgeon at South Bend (Ind.) Orthopaedics, said:
“He got tired of [coaches] yelling at him, why couldn’t he get players back in the game in the first quarter when they sprained their ankles.”
Dr. Ferlic adds that the device has uses outside of football.
“There are many more uses for this than just a football field,” he said. “This is going to help millions of people. It’s not only going to help people with acute conditions like a sprain or a break or a fracture, but it’s going to also help thousands of people with MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s.”
Dr. Ferlic cites the case of Jacque Holik, a resident of South Bend, as one example of how the device can help a patient maintain balance. Holik recently recovered from pancreatic cancer, but the lingering effects of chemotherapy weakened her knees. This left her unable to walk without falling and injuring herself until her physical therapist recommended Bean’s device.
Holik said the TayCo External Ankle Brace helped her regain her mobility and independence.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Holik said. “I couldn’t believe how well I could walk. A big difference, it gave me my life back. It really did. I go everywhere. In fact, in November I am going to California!
Image by By MC1 Peter D. Lawlor
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