Step Inside the Experience
THE CHALLENGE
Two Weeks.
Two Devices.
Everyday Life.
Six physicians wore a CAM walking boot and the TayCo Acute XAB Brace to better understand what patients navigate beyond the exam room.
They checked in before, during and after each week to document their expectations, day-to-day experience and how their thinking evolved.
What Stayed With Them
Dr. Jan Szatkowski
Orthopedic Surgeon, Indiana University Health
"We have challenged dogma, how we fix things, right? But we haven’t challenged this dogma."
Dr. Shannon Alejandro
Orthopedic Surgeon, Baylor Scott & White
"Any time I get out of the boot, it just felt like freedom."
"I felt much safer going up and downstairs with the brace on."
Dr. Monique Chambers
Orthopedic Surgeon, Stanford Health Care
"I do need to have an active role in figuring out what does work, what doesn’t work for patients, and then also being very critical about what we use as status quo and why."
Dr. Jeffrey Dikis
Podiatric Surgeon, McFarland Clinic
"The boot is aimed to protect the ankle, but at what cost?"
"You take for granted your function of your ankle, and as soon as you lose that, everything else has to accommodate."
Guiding the Conversation
Dr. Thomas McDonald
Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopedic Associates of Hartford
"We found ourselves asking if there’s opportunities to restore mobility and confidence sooner without necessarily compromising the protection."
Dr. Nicholas Strasser
Orthopedic Surgeon, Vanderbilt Health
"What surprised us was how quickly our perspective changed once we experienced recovery for ourselves."
evidence Supporting the conversation
A 2018 study published in JAAOS examined CAM walking boot users.
At transition out of the boot, after an average of 4.2 weeks, 31 of 46 patients reported new or worsened secondary-site pain.
THE TAKEAWAY
Different questions. More thoughtful conversations.
What does this patient need protected?
When is movement appropriate?
What are they managing between appointments?
The takeaway is not one solution for every patient. It is a deeper understanding of what treatment decisions ask of patients during recovery.
For Medical Providers
Bring the conversation into your own practice. Request a sample of the TayCo Acute XAB Brace and experience it for yourself.
