Guidebook

Orthopedic supply is an integral part of the proper, complex medical and rehabilitation treatment. Properly selected and used devices significantly improve functional condition of the patient, reduce the costs of treatment for the patient as well as for the National Healthcare System:

• shorten the time and improve effectiveness of the treatment
• reduce the number of used analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, reduce costs of healing treatment and number of complications connected with taking drugs
• reduce number of visits at specialists (less time and lower costs of transportation to the specialist) 
• enables rehabilitation in ambulatory conditions (treatment in hospital conditions is less needed)
• improve functionality of the patient, often enable continuation of employment or commencement of work (instead of taking the pension the patient can contribute to his/her healthcare insurance)
• enable come back to sport and hobby activities
• increase the level of self-dependence in case of patients with advanced degenerative changes

In most cases the patients are not aware that the orthopedic supply exists and is available for them. Therefore there is a necessity to see and try the particular support by the patient. On Polish market in each group of supports and braces (assigned to one number on the National Healthcare System list of codes for orthopedic devices) there are several devices manufactured by different companies. One ideal support that suits every patient does not exist. Selection of the suitable support is difficult for the doctor as well as for the patient. It is necessary to try the support in natural conditions – in case of knee joint support try to walk up and down the stairs, on uneven ground, down the slope. Such test enables evaluation of how much the selected support improves the walking of the particular patient. Usually it is after testing of several types of supports that the patient can make decision and rational choice.

Nowadays the supports can be divided into practically three groups:

1. Used as prevention by healthy people – supports used by people performing hard physical work in forced positions – lumbosacral supports, wrist stabilizers and all other types of stabilizers significantly reduce the number of injuries and sick absenteeism. In such cases the use of supports may be requested not only by employers but also by insurance companies. They are especially interested in faster and more effective treatment of insured patients as the costs of sick absenteeism and compensations due to accidents resulting in permanent disability are very high. In case of sportsmen the supports have two functions –prevent the injury and enable faster come back to active training after the injury.
2. Used by active people, in employment, in case of temporary or permanent impairment of movement organs. Use of professionally selected supports shortens the period of work disability, enables continuation of employment in the same position, enables performance of favorite sport activities or recreation (e.g. skiing, dancing, hiking, gardening). Modern orthopedic supports are light, durable, enable full range of movement in the joint. They are usually used periodically and apart from professional selection which is done by the doctor, it is important that they must be accepted by the patient.
3. Used by patients with physical disability, with high level of permanent or temporary impairment of movement organs. Used by such patients enable improvement of their movement ability and greater degree of independence. For this group of patients most of the orthopedic supports are partially or fully refunded by the National Healthcare System on the basis of doctors’ application. Selection of proper supports are performed under the supervision of the medical specialist – defined is not only the type of support but also time and conditions of its use. Very important is also patient’s acceptance of the support and discipline of use. Properly selected support improves comfort of life and prevents occurrence of pain, enables reduction of the number of taken analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, often enables independent mobility.

Please use our short guide-book concerning the use of supports. Click on the picture below and you will find description how to use the supports of the respective joint.

The guide-book was prepared by the medical doctor Piotr Kliszcz, orthopedics and rehabilitation specialist.