Shore Prosthetics and Orthotics has opened its new location in Tutu Park Mall, offering cranial remolding, upper and lower extremity prosthetics, and orthotic products to its patients.
“Limb loss is a life-changing ordeal,” said Chris Borgesen, the certified prosthetic orthotic assistant at Shore Prosthetics. “It doesn’t mean that your life is over, but it’s definitely life-changing.”
At Shore, 3D printing is used to begin the process of molding prosthetics for patients.
“It helps us do test fittings and it helps us do patient turn around because it doesn’t have to be sent out to our labs in the states, and then the hassle with the mail service and things like that,” said Borgesen.
The prosthetics, according to Borgesen, are external devices for limb loss or amputees, and the orthotics are external devices used to help support a joint or extremity.
One of the patients at Shore, Jeanette Henry, who amputated her left leg in 2012 due to diabetes, said that being a patient at Shore allowed her to work at her job and complete everyday activities without feeling like she lost a limb.
“I had a positive mind that I am going to do this, and I have to go back to work,” said Henry.
In February 2013, Henry first had her limb measured at Shore to begin the process of getting a prosthetic leg. She said she received her leg prosthetic in April of that year, and later on in the year, she returned to work.
“The first one, when I went back to work it was a little uncomfortable until I got accustomed to it,” said Henry. “There are stairs, I have to do office work, do inventory, go in the cooler, go in the freezer, do stuff, come back out on the line, put bread in to bake, take out bread out the oven. It’s a lot of tasks.”
But after some time, “even my ex-coworkers are saying that I move faster than them,” said Henry.
Henry also said her experience at home with the prosthetic was initially challenging.
“The two [biggest] obstacles are going up and coming downhill,” she said. But she committed herself to first walking up the hill outside her home. “It took me two minutes to reach the top,” said Henry. After continued practice and some support from her neighbor, Henry can now go up and down her hilly terrain with ease.
Additionally, Henry, who said she stopped working in late September 2019, was afraid of traveling as an amputee with a prosthetic.
“At first I was afraid to travel, but I went back home to Antigua, I didn’t need a wheelchair,” she said.
Henry added that throughout her journey, Borgesen kept in contact with her to ensure she was adjusting well with her prosthetic, and she was thankful for the services provided by Shore Prosthetics and Orthotics that assisted her with transitioning to her new way of life. She even started baking and sometimes delivers some of her banana bread to Borgesen, who she said, loves to add peanut butter to his.
“Shore Prosthetics is very good. I can tell anyone about that. And never let anything like you [being] an amputee keep you back,” said Henry. “Nothing really keeps me back. If I’m determined I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it.”
Borgesen added that Henry’s success is due to “just her attitude. That’s why.”
Borgesen said that Shore Prosthetics and Orthotics has been opening in the Virgin Islands since 2010. After opening its first location in St. Thomas, it then expanded to St. Croix and Tortola.
Shore was previously located behind the Schneider hospital on St. Thomas, but Borgesen said he was looking ahead at the potential congestion the area will receive due to operations for nearby schools and the hospital, and thought it was best to relocate the business.
“It’s a trend now in health care for health care doctors’ offices, pharmacies, to move into mall space because of the convenience for patients,” he said.
Much of the work for Shore consists of prosthetics for upper and lower extremities, cranial remolding helmets for infants, and post-stroke orthotics for patients. They can even add custom designs for patients to personalize their devices. Additionally, Borgesen is particularly excited to team up with Myomo Inc., a company specializing in medical robotics, to provide robotic orthotics to patients.
“It’s usually people that have lost function in their arm, and then still they have some muscle twinge intactment, that device then allows them to actually use their arm again,” said Borgesen of the robotic orthotics. He added that there are currently two patients in St. Thomas who will be issued the devices soon.
Shore Prosthetics is typically open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the mall. At-home visits and weekend visits can also be provided based on a client’s needs. On St. Croix, Shore Prosthetics and Orthotics is located at 4050 La Grande Princesse Drive, Suite 7, and at Peebles Hospital in Tortola.
“The service here is very very good,” added Henry, who said she had already recommended Shore to one of her friends who got amputated. “You would never think I have a prosthetic unless I tell you,” she said.
“Along with us trying to bring cutting-edge technology to the territory, my goal for the coming year is to start offering a support group for amputees and families and caregivers, and use individuals like Ms. Henry to share their experience,” said Borgesen.
For more information on Shore Prosthetics and Orthotics, go to www.shoreprosthetics.com or call 340-714-1009.
St. Croix Source
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