Product milestones
Developing products that help patients with temporary or permanent disabilities to a better life will always be the company's core purpose. Over the years, we have developed more and less successful products. Many ideas did not turn out as we imagined, but to succeed, you must also fail. Based on all the lessons learnt, we have introduced many successful products.
Allard AFO
The story of Allard AFO began on 17 May 1987 at Snogeholm Castle in Skåne. But it would be almost ten years before the first product saw the light of day. Four people, all professionals in the orthopaedic industry, met regularly to discuss the ideal orthosis. Bertil Allard was a driving force in the group. From the beginning, the goal was to develop a wrist orthosis that provided pain relief and where any discomfort from the orthosis should never exceed its benefit. After several years of deliberation, the group contacted Malmö Komposit, a company specialising in carbon fibre and composite products. The company was previously known as Malmö Flygindustri. Together, they began developing a wrist orthosis.
Although everything seemed right on paper, it did not go as planned. The price was too high, the hand position was controversial, and the application was too complicated. However, the group felt there was something unique about the material, and the idea of an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) for drop foot was born, as the existing ones on the market were perceived as clumsy and lacking in dynamics.
Inspired by ideas from Japan and Australia, an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) for drop foot was developed where the tibial support was placed on the front of the shin instead of the back. In 1997, they finally created the first successful mass-produced composite orthosis, ToeOFF®, Camp Scandinavia's most significant product today.
SELECTION
The SELECTION product line was introduced in 2010. With SELECTION, we wanted to create anatomically compliant orthoses that provide support and stability where needed but, at the same time, are flexible and allow movement so that the body part can be functional. Our goal was for the product to feel like a second skin and be customisable for a perfect fit for everyone. After a long development process, the SELECTION product line was born - where every material and construction has been composed to optimise the products' function and maximise comfort.
At present, we have developed five different SELECTION materials with different properties. What they all have in common is the surface that feels soft against the skin and the ability to breathe and dry quickly if wet. They can all be machine-washed and cut without edging. They are tested and approved by well-reputed test institutes for close-to-the-body textiles.
The first orthoses were so well received on the market that there were instant requests for more. Our range has evolved to include more hand-related products and a range of knee and back orthoses. Today, there are around 30 items in our SELECTION range.
Elements Body
Elements Body originated from a creative mum's idea when she wanted to help her daughter who suffered from Cerebral Palsy. The woman was drawn to a suit used on burn patients in Australia. The mum brought a suit home to test whether it could support her daughter and improve her body control.
We were a distributor of this kind of product for several years but soon realised there was potential to develop our own product. After working closely with orthopaedic engineers and physiotherapists specialising in neurology, we could present Elements Body 2015. The textile orthosis provides improved body awareness and helps to improve motor skills. Adding various reinforcements provides stability to weaker muscles and joints.
The products are well-received in the market, and the segment is growing steadily. We have also developed another product in the category with healthcare specialists. HyMo is another compression garment dedicated to people suffering from EDS (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome of the hypermobility type).
S.O.T
The idea behind S.O.T. comes from Margareta Persson, a well-known occupational therapist with long experience in hand therapy. She saw the need for a resting orthosis that gave the patient an optimal resting position, which was lacking on the market. In addition, many orthoses were sharp with edges that chafed and hurt the patient.
The key was to develop a comfortable product that followed the natural arch of the hand and could be customised by the healthcare professional. The product needed to be easy to close and not contribute to developing more oedema. In addition to fit and comfort, an important objective was to create a cover that was easy to apply and reduced the risk of excess fluid (oedema) accumulating in the forearm.
Together with Maggi, we developed a variety of materials and prototypes to solve the task. The first model, S.O.T Resting Splint, was launched in early 2018 and has quickly become one of our largest single products for patients with a weak or painful hand/forearm.
CROSS
Många personer som lider av droppfot har eller utvecklar också översträckning i knäleden. För dessa patienter är en textil knäortos ett bra stöd. En av de vanligaste diagnoserna bakom droppfot och översträckning i knäleden är stroke. Tyvärr är det sällan att stroke enbart påverkar benet, för de flesta resulterar sjukdomen i en halvsidig förlamning vilket också påverkar handfunktionen på den drabbade sidan.
Under utvecklingsprocessen av vår semi-rigida knäortos CROSS hade vi förmånen att arbeta tillsammans med både patienter och sjukgymnaster. Vi blev snart medvetna om att det är väldigt viktigt att göra det möjligt att ta av och på knäortosen med en hand. Genom att möjliggöra detta ökar graden av självständighet markant.
CROSS kan användas som en fristående knäortos vid översträckning men kan också kombineras med de flesta modeller av Allard AFO. Vid kombination av CROSS och Allard AFO så får användaren stöd som motverkar både droppfot och översträckning i knäleden.
ALFESS
Many people who suffer from drop foot also have or develop overstretching of the knee joint. For these patients, a textile knee orthosis is a good support. One of the most common diagnoses behind drop foot and knee joint hyperextension is stroke. Unfortunately, strokes rarely affect just the leg. For most people, the disease results in semi-paralysis, which also affects hand function on the affected side.
During the development process of our CROSS semi-rigid knee orthosis, we had the privilege of working with patients and physiotherapists. We soon realised that it is essential to make it possible to don and doff the knee orthosis with one hand. By enabling this, the degree of independence increases significantly.
CROSS can be used as a stand-alone knee orthosis for overstretching but can also be combined with most models of Allard AFO. When combining CROSS and Allard AFO, the user gets the support that prevents both drop foot and overstretching of the knee joint.