Solly recently had hip surgery and has been using his Trexo for post surgery rehabilitation and has been doing phenomenal! Read more about Solly’s recovery journey below. This story shares Solly’s experience only. The following is not reflective of results as investigated by a formal research study and reflects the experience of one family.
Meet Solly
Solly is a 7-year-old living with Triplegic Cerebral Palsy, which affects both legs, his right arm, his vision, and his speech. Solly survived three massive strokes around birth, which resulted in his CP diagnosis. A look at Solly on his Mom’s Instagram shows us a smiling, determined boy who likes to play doctor, works hard at therapy and rocks some pretty cool glasses! Solly is a Trexo user, who recently underwent major surgery. His Trexo played an active role in his recovery.
Solly’s Surgery
Solly’s Mom Camie, shared the details of Solly’s surgery.
“Solly had a bilateral varus derotational osteotomy of the femur and a pelvic osteotomy on the left side. His hips had historically always been at risk for dislocating since he does not bear weight on his own and has significant dystonia in his legs, but up until he was 6 years old, his hips were stable at 25 – 30% subluxed. However, after a growth spurt, his regular hip x-rays showed that his left hip had migrated to more than 60%. It was likely causing him pain and causing his gross motor skills to regress, so we decided to act.”
Post Surgery
Solly spent 6 weeks in leg immobilizers and an abduction wedge. They were able to remove those for 2 hours at a time during those 6 weeks. However it was a big change and scary for Solly when they came off permanently. Moving his legs at the wrong angle or too quickly caused him pain. His surgeon wanted him weight bearing, moving through a range of motion, and getting back to moving as much as possible.
Making the Decision to incorporate the Trexo
Camie shared why they chose Solly’s Trexo as one of the tools to aid in his recovery. “We’d used the Trexo for nearly two years prior to surgery with lots of success: it was fun for him to get around more independently and as he got stronger, we were able to make adjustments to help support his development. Time spent in Trexo also translated to strength and progress outside of Trexo: less support needed in his gait trainer, better steps, and more confidence. Based on this experience, we wanted to get Solly into the Trexo as soon as he got the green light to start weight-bearing again. It was a safe place for him, a fun place, and because we could make on-the-go adjustments to give him as much – or as little – support as he needed, we knew he’d feel most comfortable in the Trexo as he got used to his new legs.”
Adjusting the Trexo for a smooth recovery
Post-surgery, Solly’s hips were super tight, he was not comfortable bearing weight and he lost quite a bit of core strength during recovery. All those factors combined to make Solly feel less confident in his body. These were important points that needed to be factored into his Trexo use for recovery:
- Understanding that Solly’s hips were tight, they reduced the hip angle and gradually – over the course of a couple of months, they increased it back to his baseline.
- For the first couple of sessions, they actually did zero weight-bearing in the Trexo and just ran the device in the air so Solly could get a good stretch through range of motion
- Once they got him comfortable to do weight-bearing, they started with small increments of time. Just 5 minutes for the first time and increasing up from there. During these short sessions, they also slowed his steps down. Prior to surgery, he would typically walk at 55 or 60 steps per minute, but after, he seemed most comfortable around 30 or 35 steps per minute. They were prioritizing shorter sessions (up to 15 minutes) to focus on getting him consistently in the Trexo – aiming for daily sessions, with just one longer session per week.
The Results
Camie reported that they saw a pretty quick return on range of motion. The Trexo allowed for his muscles to relax and lengthen, which makes it so much easier for them to work through his stretches now. She went on to say;
“Over time, we’ve seen his strength and stamina come back, and with that, his confidence. It’s been the perfect tool for us to use in conjunction with his regular physical therapy because it’s making his therapy time much more effective. We’re now about 4 months out of surgery and nearly back to his baseline. He still has some residual tightness and some days struggles to fully bear weight on his weaker side, but his doctor and therapists have all remarked on how well and how quickly he’s recovered from this major surgery – he’s moving more and better than they thought he would by this point.”
Camie’s Thoughts for Families Considering the Trexo
“First of all, Trexo is one of the most fun ways for kiddos to get up and get moving. It is so amazing to have this device that essentially works as an extra set – or two – of hands so you can just focus on interacting with your child while they’re walking. For after surgery, there is no tool like Trexo: being able to adjust it on-the-go is absolutely priceless in terms of keeping your child comfortable and confident as they work through tightness and gain confidence in their body. Because it can give you so much return in so little time, it’s the most efficient way to help your child stretch, move, and get stronger while recovering from surgery.”
“It is so amazing to have this device that essentially works as an extra set – or two – of hands so you can just focus on interacting with your child while they’re walking.”
– Camie Rodan
Thoughts from the Trexo Team
Hearing about how the kiddos use their Trexo and learning of ways it benefits them is always a thrill for us. This is exactly why we do this. The Trexo is designed to be adaptable to your child’s needs and learning how it helped support Solly in his recovery was exciting for us. Every family that brings the Trexo Home into their lives becomes part of the TrexoWarriors team! We salute all of our warriors!
Looking to find more stories of children using the Trexo? Check out how the Trexo has given freedom to Luz and her family, and then head on and watch the reciprocal motion of Iris’s steps after 6 months of Trexo use.
Curious to try the Trexo? Fill out this form and we will be happy to provide you with more information!
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