Water-proof KAFO

Water-proof KAFO

eric chen

5/7/2010

I'm working with a 32 y/o male who suffered an incomplete T8 SCI. He has strong hip flexors bilaterally, but muscle strengths of 2/5 or less in his legs otherwise. We're fabricating custom bilateral thermoplastic/metal KAFOs for standing, and he curiously asked if they'd be water-proof. When I questioned why he explained that he'd like to use them during his water/pool therapy (salt water). We've thrown around a number of ideas, including a one-piece thermoplastic, as well as using stainless components and instructing him to rinse it thoroughly and lubing the joints after each use.

Has anyone done something similarly or have any additional ideas?

 Eric Chen, LPO

Atlanta Prosthetics & Orthotics