'She can start living a normal life': Local bracing clinic helps ease mobility issues

Bracing solutions for people with mobility issues From CTV Kitchener's Jessica Smith: A orthopaedic clinic is operating again, helping people with mobility issues find bracing solutions.

KITCHENER — After it was forced to close at the start of the pandemic, Orthopedic Bracing Solutions Inc. in Kitchener is once again able to help people with a range of severe medical conditions causing mobility issues.

“You get all the offshoots of neurological problems that create difficulty with function. And so it's not only function of the legs, but we also deal with the spin, the neck and the hand,” said Al Moore, Owner and Certified Orthotist/Prosthetic and Orthotic Technician.

This includes the head with what is called a therapy helmet, like the one used for six-month-old Kallie Fackoury born with torticollis.

“Which is the shortening of one of the neck muscles when she was in the womb,” said her mom, Lyndsey Fackoury. “She just preferred to lie on one side of her head at night so she ended up having a flat spot.”

According to Kallie’s physiotherapist, depending on where the flat spot is, leaving it untreated could lead to cognitive or developmental issues.

Two weeks ago, Kallie was fitted for her helmet.

Christine Arnold, a Certified Orthoptist with OBC Inc., said the helmet was made using plaster of paris, kind of like papier-mâché.

“We get a mould of their head, fill it, sculpt it to get the areas of relief we want in the helmet. Then we mould the foam and the plastic over it and create the helmet,” she said.

Kallie’s helmet needs to be adjusted roughly every two weeks. Her mother said having an option in Waterloo Region means she can get the help she needs close to home.

“It’s been really great because the quicker you get this dealt with, the faster she gets the helmet on and then she can start living her normal life.”

For Cailyn Hovey, a young woman living with a brain tumor that affects her ability to walk, having the clinic open during the pandemic to make the switch from her brace to orthotics, means she can stay active. That’s a crucial part of her treatment.

“It’s really, really awesome to have a service like this especially in this time because you know I’m trying to walk more. This kind of thing is just really helpful for me and my mom,” she said.

The clinic is giving everyone, no matter the challenges they face, the ability to live their best life.