Orlaith
Providing Orlaith with a permanent seating solution
Orlaith is a 14 year old girl who was having difficulty with her current seating. She has a global developmental delay with low tone in her trunk and lower limbs. Over time this has resulted in an acute scoliosis and Orlaith now wears a brace. In her current seating, Orlaith has issues with forward sliding, and after losing weight, the extra space allowed her spine to collapse within the mould, causing her head and shoulders to flex to the left (see left).
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Clinical Assessment
Upon assessment Orlaith has;
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A severe scoliosis, concave left with associated rib hump on the right and skin crease on the left.
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A pelvic obliquity up on the left, with her head and shoulders balanced over the pelvis in a central position.
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Full range of movement in her lower limbs with no limitations to seating or positioning.
Approach
The primary aim for Orlaith was to accommodate the rib hump and brace and support the scoliosis, so that her head and trunk are balanced centrally over her pelvis. This could be achieved by setting up the 3-part backrest. This position would enable Orlaith to engage in more functional activities.
A complex lateral support was used on the left side to open up and support Orlaith’s scoliosis. And on the right side the thoracic supports were rotated by 90° to provide extra contouring around the rib hump (below).
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Using a castellated cushion, Orlaith’s pelvic obliquity was accommodated by being able to submerge into the elastic memory foam, thereby distributing the load (right).
Outcome
Orlaith now uses her KIT Seating System permanently rather than her mould. The seat enables Orlaith to maintain an upright position, with shoulder support at the girdle level and her head balanced centrally over her pelvis. The flexible adjustment in the back section of the pelvic cradle encourages Orlaith’s pelvis to assume a more neutral alignment.
Orlaith’s therapist reports that a comfortable, functional position has been achieved, and the KIT Seating System has enabled better positioning during daily activities especially mealtimes.
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