Paraplegic donates device to aid spinal injuries

A DEVICE that helps patients with spinal injuries become more mobile has been donated to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dublin.

It was presented by Paul Moore of the Mobility Aids Centre in Britain, who became the first paraplegic person to walk a mile using the adjustable standing frame two years ago.

The money to buy the high-tech piece of equipment, called the Dynamic Parapodium, was raised last year during a charity 24-hour relay event organised by the centre in which the device was used by participants.

Paul, 43, was paralysed following a motorcycle accident in 1980 when he was 17 years old and used a wheelchair for the last 26 years.

Despite his disability Paul is exceptionally fit. He tries to use his own Parapodium, which costs just under €4,000, for at least an hour a day.

The adjustable standing frame with braces to support the legs and hip allows users to rock from side to side and take steps using an arm lever.

Paul first tried out the Parapodium about four years ago. “Within 30 seconds of making adjustments I was ‘walking’ around the room and it was a fantastic feeling,” he said.

“This device can help patients with rehabilitation as well as providing an incalculable psychological boost,” he said.

NRH physiotherapy manager Vivienne Moffitt said they were delighted to be presented with the device.

Ms Moffitt said the Parapodium would provide an additional exercise option for patients and explained that with regular use the device can prevent muscular contraction problems and demineralisation of bones.

And, she said, while the device did not offer a miracle cure, it gave patients a huge psychological boost because it allowed them to move forward in an upright position.

Every year in Ireland around 50 people suffer a spinal cord injury as a result of road traffic accidents, sports injuries, falls or other medical conditions.

Following specialist treatment that may include surgery and a period in intensive care, patients are moved to the NRH in Dun Laoghaire where they embark on an acute rehabilitation programme that includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy and patient and family education.

Paul is on a six-month tour donating the equipment to every spinal injury unit in Britain and Ireland. He travelled to Ireland in a specially adapted van to deliver the device to the NRH.

Ms Moffitt pointed out that Paul decided to present the device to the NRH after getting to know patients from the hospital through the Inter-Spinal Games held every year at the Stoke Mandeville Centre in Britain.

Around a third of the 120 beds at the NRH are taken up by patients with spinal injuries, many of whom continue to have a life-long relationship with the hospital.