Nomine is a lively, bubbly girl from the Harz region of Germany. She loves action, time with her family and friends, and dancing and singing in her wheelchair. "I am like a little mouse, always running around", she says, chuckling to herself. Her incomplete paraplegia means that she needs her wheelchair for everyday life, but she doesn't let that slow her down. And the wheelchairs for children from Veldink4kids are the perfect fit here. They are exceptionally lightweight and easy to move and offer a wide range of adjustment options. For example, the adjustable centre of gravity allows Nomine to move around actively and independently. As well as this, all the wheelchairs from Veldink4kids are individually adapted and grow with the child – there’s no such thing as a standard size. Nomine chose her wheelchair in purple, which is her favourite colour, together with a suitably brightly coloured spoke guard.
7-year-old Justus lives with his family and therapy dog Nela in the countryside near Göttingen in Germany. At just 18 months old he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy with moderate limitation of mobility (level 2-3). In his spare time, when he is not driving or enjoying a ride on a tractor, he likes to train for his first swimming badge. To help him learn how to move independently and safely at home, Justus wears the Exopulse Mollii Suit for one hour a day based on the recommendations given to him by his therapist. This so-called neuromodulation suit is designed to relax tense or spastic muscles with the aid of electrostimulation, stimulate weak muscles and reduce associated pain. The Exopulse Mollii Suit has not only helped Justus to improve his foot position and gait, as his mother Nicola explains: "We have seen a rapid improvement in dexterity. In particular, his attempts to use a fork to pick up food have become much more focused."
Another solution is intended for the very smallest among us. Around ten percent of all babies are affected by head deformities – one percent even by severe deformities. So-called helmet moulding therapy can help here, as it is doing with Harrison. Here, an orthosis guides the growth of the skull without generating pressure points or compression. To ensure that the process is gentle, fast and careful for Harrison and his parents, Ottobock uses state-of-the-art 3D printing technology and a process in which his head is scanned digitally and then modelled on a PC. Afterwards the 3D-printed orthosis helmet MyCRO Band is then produced. This is up to 40 percent lighter and 60 percent thinner than a traditional helmet, which makes it much more comfortable for little ones to wear. Another advantage of MyCRO Band is its clasp system. During the course of the treatment, it adapts to the growth of the skull, resulting in less need for modifications at the medical supply company. Dr Jaques Griffet, Professor of Orthopaedic Paediatric Surgery in Grenoble, is also highly impressed with the 3D-printed orthosis helmet: "MyCRO Band is extremely well finished, lightweight and highly flexible. The helmet is well accepted not only by the young patients, but also by their parents."
Exercising and taking part in sports is good for the body and soul. But more than anything, it is good fun. Ottobock set up the Talent Days together with gold medal winner Heinrich Popow. The aim of the event is to give children, adolescents and young adults with amputations and dysmelia (congenital malformation of the limbs) the opportunity to challenge themselves in the sporting arena. At the training facilities of sports club TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen e.V. they get to experience what it is like to run with a sports prosthesis. For an entire weekend, the participants are taught in a playful environment by expert trainers from the parasports club and by parasports stars like Heinrich Popow, Johannes Floors and Léon Schäfer how to correctly use a sports prosthesis.
One of them is Ferike. At the Talent Days in April she was able to use a sports prosthesis to take part in sports for the first time in her life. The 7-year-old was born with lower leg aplasia. This means that her right leg stops just above where the knee should be, and she is missing her knee, lower leg and foot. Ferike received her first prosthesis when she was just 18 months old, and this is when she learned to walk. However, she had never tried out a sports prosthesis before – so naturally she was incredibly excited when she arrived at the Talent Days. But not even an hour later, her prosthesis had been converted into a sports prosthesis and Ferike was running races around the tartan track with the other participants. With great excitement, she explains: "I am so happy that there are so many other children here with a prothesis, and I have already found a new friend who is exactly the same age as me. I want to do this again."
REHACARE.de; Quelle: Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA
