There’s not much good that can be said about foot drop. It keeps people from staying in motion and can aggravate co-morbidities like diabetes and high blood pressure. But the Kinetic Kids program in San Antonio, Texas, benefits whenever a ToeOFF ankle foot orthosis made by Allard USA is sold.
Foot Drop Orthosis Maker Funds Grants
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Through a grant from the Rockaway, New Jersey-based Dralla Foundation, the Kinetic Kids program can pay for a weeklong bike camp for children with special needs. The camp helps kids learn to ride a regular bike. The program works as 85% of the kids are successful in riding independently. That makes for healthier kids, and eventually, healthier adults. The program has received three grants from the foundation.
The Dralla Foundation, founded by Peter Allard, is funded by a percentage of proceeds earned by Allard’s company, Allard USA. The company “manufactures a range of orthopedic devices designed to improve physical function and enhance quality of life for individuals with physical challenges.”
Grants Made
According to the foundation, almost $150, 000 in grants have been awarded since 2011 to fund events and programs that help adults and children with physical challenges. This past year, recipients included:
- Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program
- Colorado Adaptive Sports Foundation
- Daring Adventures
- Heroes on the Water
- Kinetic Kids, Inc.
- Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
- Telluride Adaptive Sports Program.
Grant Program Administrator Jennifer Buehler says, “The testimonials we receive from our grant recipients are full of stories of people having fun and doing things they never thought possible. We are excited about the impact we have already made but we want to do more. With a goal to acquire more funds to be able to offer more and larger grants, we have begun to accept donations.”
Dralla Foundation
For more information on Dralla’s Grant Program, the organizations supported by the foundation or to help them increase their grants by making a donation, please visit www.dralla.org. You can also connect with Dralla on www.facebook.com/drallafoundation and www.twitter.com/drallafound.
Allard USA
Allard USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Camp Scandinavia AB, based in Helsingborg, Sweden, a worldwide maker of orthotic devices for over 50 years. Camp Scandinavia was started in 1954 by the Winberg family. Camp International purchased the company in 1982, but then in 1996 Bertil Allard acquired ownership of Camp Scandinavia. Today it is owned by Peter Allard.
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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