Trauma, Injury, & Limb Salvage Orthoses

Trauma and injury are unexpected occurrences that might happen at work, at home, or while participating in a sport or hobby. By nature, they can’t be planned for, and often impact individuals that are otherwise in good health.

At its extreme end, trauma is severe enough to necessitate immediate amputation. In other instances, longer-term intervention, such as limb salvage might be necessary. Limb salvage refers to the use of orthoses and alternative methods in order to restore function to a damaged limb. In cases of more mild trauma,  short-term orthotic intervention can restore most or all function.

Bracing Solutions

After trauma or injury, orthoses are often used to support or immobilize the affected area in order to promote healing and prevent future injury. We provide both custom and off-the-shelf braces for the lower limbs, upper limbs, and spine.

Braces intended to control and reduce pain can be designed to correct alignment, displace pressure, and restrict or correct movement. Braces may also be designed to immobilize the affected parts of the body, limiting movement in order to promote healing the way a cast would do.

Limb Salvage

Plans for limb salvage are frequently developed because of a traumatic injury, but they can also be necessary for individuals with congenital conditions, cancer diagnoses, diabetes, or other situations that cause difficulty with a limb.

Beyond the pain management and immobilization braces described above, limb salvage usually involves bracing solutions designed to provide long-term improvements to mobility and continued pain. Depending on the impacted limb, common solutions may include ankle foot orthoses (AFOs), spinal bracing, and many of the treatment options utilized for neuromuscular diseases.

We also offer the ExoSym™ at our Gig Harbor facility in Washington state. ExoSym is a hybrid prosthetic-orthotic device that may help you regain functionality of a lower limb when other solutions haven’t worked.

Your orthotist will work with you and your extended care team to recommend the best orthosis for your unique goals and needs.