Surgery and post-op care at tina.

Our tina. offers a lot of advantages and especially helps people in GMFCS Level 4 and 5. Alana has also had a tina. at home since this year. Alana’s surgery follow-up took place both in hospital and later at home, in the tina.
“In December last year, my surgery was discussed. I have the rare Kaudal Regression Syndrome and therefore had to have surgery on my spine,” Alana explains to us during our conversation. More precisely, she had a new sacrum inserted and her pelvis was straightened. Both were attached to the spine to straighten her pelvis.

Caudal regression syndrome

Caudal regression syndrome is a very rare condition that affects the lower spinal segments. In some cases, very significant deformities occur in different sections of the spine and other areas of the body. In some cases, entire spinal segments in the sacrum and coccyx are missing. This syndrome usually leads to serious malformations and complications. It is not uncommon for those affected to be missing various organs, which can lead to a further restricted life. In most cases, an artificial bowel outlet is also necessary so that the patient can continue to survive.

It is also not uncommon for the various limbs to be deformed. The kidneys can also be affected by this syndrome, so that the affected person suffers from incontinence or is even dependent on a transplant. Furthermore, many of those affected suffer from heart defects, which can lead to a severe reduction in life expectancy.

(Source: Witkowski R., Prokop O., Ullrich E.: Lexikon der Syndrome und Fehlbildungen. Springer, Berlin 2003)

“My first operation was performed without the tina. by Schuchmann and afterwards I was either in bed or in a wheelchair. I wore a corset in my wheelchair. On some days I therefore had to wear it for up to 10 hours. Moreover, I was only mobile and able to participate in life with my wheelchair. After a short time I had sores from sitting in the corset,” Alana reports. “Despite the long period of being in a protective position, my 5 mm pelvis eventually could not withstand the new load and broke.” – A bitter setback. Again, surgery had to be performed. Again, weeks of lying down with no certainty of recovery.

tina. for pressure-free positioning

When Alana had her second operation in June, they relied on the tina. Cradle Base with Cradle System. The vacuum mattress with electric pump adapts perfectly to the individual conditions of the body. This means that Alana can always be positioned without pressure or pain.

 

tina. in the operating room

The use of the vacuum mattress of our tina. in the operating theatre is uncomplicated and gentle. The vacuum mattress fulfils the hygienic and technical requirements of an operation. It eases the effort for positioning and supports the successful surgical result, for example, by avoiding faulty implants due to unstable positioning.

For complex interventions, tina. represents a novel alternative to conventional forms of positioning.

 

“After only three days, I was allowed to leave the bed in tina. and go outside. It didn’t bother me any more that I was only allowed to lie down,” says Alana happily. “Besides, thanks to the adjustable base, I could already sit up much faster.” The lying surface of the tina. can be varied both in height and angle. The head and leg sections can be adjusted independently of each other, so that the tina. can always be adapted to Alana’s current needs. This continuous, light load on the body gives Alana’s bones, muscles and joints time to permanently adapt to the new situation.

Enormous progress in recovery

Alana’s surgeon is also thrilled with her recovery at tina. as he tells her in the follow-up conversation. When she was lying down without a corset, she could only straighten up to a maximum of 30 degrees, otherwise the strain would be too great. In the tina. Alana was able to straighten up to 60 degrees after a short time without this being too much of a strain on her body. This enormous progress contributes significantly to her recovery. In the wheelchair, Alana wears a corset to stabilise her spine and pelvis there. In the tina. she does not need this thanks to the custom-fit vacuum mattress. She enjoys the time without a corset and getting out of her bed. For example, she can be at the family dinner or comfortably play board games again without the fear that her pelvis might break again.

Aids as everyday companions

“It is important to me that an assistive device is not perceived as embarrassing. On the contrary: it’s strong to accept that you need aids of any kind in your everyday life,” says Alana at the end of our conversation. She also conveys this message to her followers on Instagram and TikTok. “Every one of us needs various aids in our everyday lives – it starts with a can opener and doesn’t stop with a rollator! That’s important for me to convey.”