Merry Christmas!
And a Happy and Healthy 2023!
As we draw towards the end of another busy year we have reflected on some of the highlights of 2022.
Please click here to read our Christmas newsletter.
by tania
Merry Christmas!
And a Happy and Healthy 2023!
As we draw towards the end of another busy year we have reflected on some of the highlights of 2022.
Please click here to read our Christmas newsletter.
by tania
The Team at Proactive are immensley proud to have supported the 72 nations of The Commonwealth during the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Nearly 50 members of our team and volunteers came to Birmingham to support the athletes and their coaches. More than anything we were humbled by the commitment and support from the volunteers; prosthetists, orthotists, technicians and games makers who gave their time. The rest of this article is given to sharing their inspiring teamwork and problem solving to support the Commonwealth Games para-athletes in achieving their goals and dreams.
Click the link below to read the full story:
by tania
We are pleased to announce that on 20th April 2022 Proactive Prosthetics Ltd was acquired by Ability Matters Group. Ability Matters Group is an international group of companies whose principal activity is providing services that enhance the lives of those who require devices to improve their mobility and accessibility.
Whilst Proactive will continue to provide the same individual, professional and caring services we have built our reputation on, we are excited for the opportunities that Ability Matters Group offer by providing access to cutting-edge technologies and supporting the continued development of our services. The team at Proactive will remain the same and Richard Nieveen will continue to be part of the team, as well as providing specialist prosthetic support to Ability Matters Group.
by tania
On 22 November 2019 Proactive and Re:medy Healthcare, were proud to host their third workshop based, educational seminar exploring the complex journey through rehabilitation following limb loss.
The unique value that the team at Re:medy bring to this journey is their military experience in providing multi-disciplinary rehabilitation in highly complex major trauma for active individuals. They are the experts in this field and fully understand the value and importance of early, co-ordinated intervention, in all aspects of recovery, to facilitate the best possible outcomes; getting ‘fitter quicker’. These values are mirrored at Proactive and together we provide the best possible results for patients following limb loss.
The day began with a welcome and introduction to this complex journey by Richard Nieveen and Dr Ian McCurdie followed by six workshops.
The first was a teamwork session exploring the challenges faced by a person who finds themselves traumatically injured. Participants learned the importance of recognising the unknown journey that lies ahead and how a team of experts can carefully and constructively make that journey as effective as possible, leading to improved outcomes for the individuals and their families.
Next, a session demonstrating issues faced with scaring and oedema in early rehabilitation was one of the most popular as it was an area that is not often covered or recognised in the rehabilitation process.
Then, in Proactive’s technical workshop participants were able to watch a live demonstration of the process of making a prosthetic socket. A true appreciation of the skill and detail required to create a functional comfortable socket.
Pain was explored in the next workshop investigating non-pharmacological methods of pain relief, including mirror therapy.
Further sessions on upper and lower limb prosthetics and orthotics, including practical demonstrations by patients, gave participants a hands on insight into what can be achieved and the importance of comfort and function restored to the lives of amputees.
The recent advances in upper limb prosthetic technology is striking – the session demonstrated the functionality and dexterity achievable whilst explaining the amount of input and commitment required by the individual and healthcare professionals supporting them to benefit from this most advanced technology.
Finally, by popular demand a consideration of the psychological impact of major trauma was led by Dr Matt Beadman.
The day was rounded up with a panel Q&A discussion before drinks and networking.
Below are a few of the comments from the participants:
‘Very useful and productive session, extremely helpful and very informative’
‘Very smooth day, very well run. Interesting / passionate speakers. Good mix of delegates.’
‘A very interesting day. Seeing the prosthetics in use was great.’
‘Really insightful day. Really good to get an understanding of different impacts.’
‘Thank you all for such an informative day which was also great fun!’
‘Thank you so much for hosting such an informative day. Great to experience all the work shops and gain a greater understanding of the journey of each product / patient design and to be able to meet with advocates of the Proactive Prosthetics products to appreciate the user perspective. Delicious lunch, warm reception and lovely environment to have been learning on a rainy Friday.’
A summary sheet of the key points discussed about our Remedy : Proactive Partnership is available by clicking the link below:
We plan to run more seminars in the spring and autumn 2020. If you are interested in booking a place please contact us:
clinic@proactiveprosthetics.co.uk
Tel: 01252 702500
by tania
Proactive have been privileged to work with Supervet Professor Noel Fitzpatrick to help little Ren get back on her feet. Ren suffered a devastating injury to her front left paw when another dog attacked her. Her owner, Julie, rushed her straight to her local vet who suggested a full leg amputation but she decided to turn to Professor Noel Fitzpatrick to see whether he could provide Ren with a bionic solution.
Noel examined Ren’s x-rays and discovered that her foot had been ripped off from the paw down. He was perfectly confident that she would live a long and happy life on three legs, and was reluctant to offer amputation prosthesis because she would face a major operation. Instead, he suggested a suction cup prosthesis (a removable foot). Julie was thrilled at the idea of Ren being able to walk again and even more so at the prospect of not having major surgery.
It would take a few weeks for Noel to work with a local prosthetics company to create Ren’s prosthetic foot but in the meantime, he was concerned about infection in her open wound and needed to seal it to create a stump for the prosthetic foot. He decided to cut back the bone up to her wrist and remove the infected area. He then created a stump for the prosthetic foot and and the team at Proactive bandaged her foot up to create a mould for the stump prosthesis. Ren was in great condition and spent the next five days on the ward recovering before Julie took her home.
Two months after the attack, Ren returned to Fitzpatrick Referrals to test out her prosthetic foot. The model consisted of two components – a silicon liner (to buffer the skin and avoid sores) and a carbon fibre sleeve produced with a rubber foot. Christophe Cointet from Proactive and Noel’s colleague Cameron assisted with fitting it – to ensure additional measurements were taken for the final model. The model needed just a few more tweaks before completion – it wasn’t long until Ren would be back up and running again.
Back in Bedfordshire, Ren started living life to the full with her prosthetic foot. Her brothers and sisters hadn’t even noticed any difference and welcomed her back to the pack. Julie had noticed how much more resilient she was and she was running around totally carefree – just as she was before.
Follow this link to view the episode of Supervet featuring Ren https://www.channel4.com/…/the-supervet…/on-demand/65174-018
by tania
Proactive are excited to announce that we have a new team member, Sarah Hughes, to provide physiotherapy support for our patients.
Sarah qualified as a physiotherapist in 2003 and started her career working for the NHS. After gaining experience in a variety of settings Sarah decided to specialise in musculoskeletal rehabilitation. For 12 years Sarah worked for the Ministry of Defence in various locations, providing physiotherapy to injured service personnel. Sarah spent 6 years working at DMRC Headley Court, firstly for the Complex Trauma department helping to rehabilitate amputee service personnel and those who had experienced significant trauma before moving to the lower limbs department as Clinical Lead Physiotherapist. In 2017 Sarah completed her MSc in Advanced Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. Sarah also has experience of treating paediatric patients whether this be as result of trauma such as a fracture or developmental such as scoliosis.
Sarah is delighted to be at Proactive Prosthetics and is looking forward to providing physiotherapy rehabilitation to patients and helping them to achieve any goals they may have.