Thinking outside the Zimmer Splint

Rachel working on her invention

Rachel Oates is a physiotherapist for CAMTA who has been volunteering for five years. She found out about the mission through a previous physio volunteer who did an in-service about CAMTA.

She continues to come back because the Ecuadorian people are incredibly appreciative of what CAMTA does and are so motivated to start recovery and go home immediately after surgery.

She also loves the CAMTA team and its members and enjoys being able to use her creativity.

In fact, Rachel and Kate – another CAMTA physiotherapist – came up with the idea to construct a Don Joy Brace from a Zimmer Splint, duct tape, and a suture kit, for a patient who had a left total hip arthroplasty. Without this there is a high risk of hip dislocation because the surgery the patient had accentuates knee valgus (knock-knees). The Don Joy Brace will need to be worn for twelve weeks until the muscles around the hip can strengthen.

It took Rachel about two and a half hours to create the new brace. It goes to show just how passionate and dedicated CAMTA volunteers really are.