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
richard nieveen
Sarah Hughes Joins the Proactive Team
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.
Clinical Facilities Exeter, Devon
Many patients travel from afar to benefit from our prosthetic and orthotic services. In order to facilitate support of patients based in the southwest of England we now have a clinic based near Exeter, Devon. We also welcome new patients who may find it easier to access our services at this location.
The clinic is run in conjunction with physiotherapist Holly King who has many years experience working in amputee rehabilitation including complex military cases at Headley Court.
The services we provide here are prosthetic, orthotic and physiotherapy assessments (for treatment or expert reports) reviews, adjustments and maintenance.
To book an appointment at this clinic please contact Lorraine Kentish our clinic manager:
Tel: 01252 702500
Proactive announce Clinical Partnership with Remedy Healthcare UK
We are pleased to announce our clinical partnership with Remedy Healthcare UK.
Together, Proactive Prosthetics and Remedy Healthcare UK provide a multi-disciplinary solution for cases that require prosthetic or orthotic management.
As clinical partners, our shared philosophy and expertise in patient focused, individualised and high-quality treatment, ensures patients have a rapid and seamless access to the modalities of treatment they need to achieve maximum function, mobility, comfort and independence.
Both Proactive and Remedy Healthcare UK have a proven track record in achieving excellent outcomes and their clinicians are truly experts within their fields. This combined approach to prosthetic and orthotic rehabilitation means that an individual can attend one assessment and be provided with a plan of co-ordinated, intensive rehabilitation on a Consultant-led programme alongside their prosthetic or orthotic provision.
Proactive Prosthetics was founded by Richard Nieveen in 2001 and has established itself as a world class provider and specialist prosthetic facility employing a team of leading clinicians and technical staff.
Remedy Healthcare UK is a new provider of rehabilitation for those with complex musculoskeletal injuries, including limb loss. Remedy’s Consultant-led, multi-disciplinary clinical team, has extensive experience in delivering the military model of rehabilitation at Headley Court and looks to offer the same level of opportunity to a civilian population.
Working closely together, Proactive Prosthetics and Remedy Healthcare UK, seek to achieve optimum outcomes for our patients and offer our referrers a gold standard, collaborative amputee rehabilitation service.
Link to Proactive Prosthetics Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Pages
Supporting the Next Generation of Prosthetists and Orthotists
Proactive hosted an Open Evening for Students on 18th April 2018.
Five students who had expressed an interest in a career in prosthetics, orthotics and associated industries and professions attended our Students Open Evening. The event included a tour of our clinic and manufacturing facilities, practical demonstrations and the opportunity to talk to members of our multi-disciplinary team.
Jane Hunter (Prosthetist and Orthotist) and Christophe Cointet (Prosthetist) gave practical demonstrations on the manufacture and fitting of prosthetics and orthotics as well as some valuable insights into ‘a day in the life of” a prosthetist or orthotist. The students made the most of the opportunity to ask lots of questions.
The evening was rounded up with more Q&A and a video presentation about the degree course in Prosthetics and Orthotics at Strathclyde University.
The feedback from the event was excellent:
‘[Proactive] gave lots of information, showed different sides I hadn’t considered’
‘Great insight to what both careers include and what day-to-day life would be like.’
‘Jane and Christophe were very knowledgeable and helpful.’
‘Allowed me to get an understanding of the process.’
Olivia Breen Commonwealth T38 Long Jump Champion
Olivia repeated her London 2017 victory over Australia’s Erin Cleaver in the T38 long jump.
See the action – click to follow link
Despite three no-jumps, Olivia had already clinched victory before producing a personal best and Games record of 4.86m in the final round. She beat Cleaver to gold at the World Para-athletics Championships in London by 20cm, and the victory was more conclusive this time around with a winning margin of half a metre.
The Guildford-born athlete contracted a meningitis-type illness at birth and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy aged two.
Olivia said: “It is a dream come true.
“After the Paralympics in Rio, Commonwealth Games was my aim and I have done it and I am so happy.
“With the last jump I just went for it after three no-jumps and I hit it.”
Olivia then went on to win her second medal of the games in the T38 100m. She made a good start to the race as the first three quickly got clear, keeping her composure through the second 50m and managed to secure the bronze medal (13.35sec). That made her the first athlete to win two medals in the track & field competitions.
Read more at: https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/athletics/second-commonwealth-games-medal-for-olivia-breen-1-8455732
Congratulations Olivia from The Team at Proactive.