TayCo Brace Awarded Grant to Aid Service Members with Ankle Injuries

TayCo Brace was awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant with the United States Air Force (USAF) to measure the benefits of using the TayCo Brace on active and retired service members. The TayCo Brace is an innovative new ankle brace that fits outside the patient’s own footwear, replacing the traditional walking boot. The grant was awarded through AFWERX, a technology accelerator division of the Air Force program with the goal of fostering a culture of innovation within the service. TayCo Brace will work with Air Force podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons to return service members to their normal mobility faster than in a walking boot.

Trusted by thousands of patients and physicians, the TayCo External Ankle Brace is the only lightweight, functional alternative to the walking boot. Originally designed to provide stability for elite athletes, TayCo gets patients back in the game of everyday life with fixed and ROM capabilities. Due to the fact that the brace fits outside the footwear, it can be used in combination with an orthotic and does not cause a limb length discrepancy like a walking boot. Limb length discrepancy can lead to ancillary injuries in the knee, hip, and back. Through this grant, TayCo Brace now seeks to get our warriors back in the fight faster.

The TayCo Brace was the creation of Mike Bean, the associate athletic trainer with the University of Notre Dame’s Football Program. The company was formed through the Notre Dame IDEA Center when Dr. Frederick J. Ferlic, M.D. joined with Bean to commercialize the product and bring faster recovery to patients around the world. Ferlic practiced sports medicine for nearly 40 years in South Bend, IN, as a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, specializing in lower extremities. The TayCo Brace is made in the U.S.A. and is based in South Bend, IN.