SJ's Exopulse Mollii Suit Story
Exopulse Mollii Suit gave SJ back her independence and enjoyment in doing life’s everyday activities.
Sarah-Jane, SJ, was born with cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia, the condition affects the muscles in all four of her limbs causing tightness and spasms which make gross and fine motor skills difficult to control.
“My condition makes mundane everyday tasks like getting dressed or bending down to pick things up a challenge, it can be a very frustrating condition to have” SJ says. “As I get older the muscle tightness and spasms are increasing, making doing most tasks really difficult.I’ve always been able to walk but due to my condition I walk on my toes and wear splints for support which can be quite painful. During the last few years,it’s become harder to walk and I’ve needed to use my wheelchair more and more.”
SJ has worked hard with her physiotherapist on her walking, determined to stay on her feet and not be confined to her wheelchair but recently she felt she was at the point where she might have to accept that she would soon be living the rest of her life in a wheelchair.
SJ’s physiotherapist put her forward for a trial of the Exopulse Mollii Suit, in the hope that this would help keep SJ on her feet. “I was at a real low point with my condition when I went to the trial. I was very sceptical”, said SJ “I thought how on earth will this help me after only one hour?”
During the trial, SJ was fitted with the suit, which was programmed to target her muscles affected by the spasticity. Within an hour of having the suit on SJ noticed that her feet were flat on the ground. Her Achilles are usually so tight that her feet are permanently in a pointed position. “After wearing the suit for a full hour I stood up and walked across the room. For the first time I was walking with my feet flat on the ground and my neck, shoulders and back felt more relaxed than I can remember. It was an incredibly emotional day, me and my physio were both in tears.”
SJ took the suit home for an 8 week trial and continued to use it frequently. Her symptoms improved week by week and it wasn’t long before she was able to take her dog out for a walk. “I was doing things I’d never been able to do before, I could do housework for the first time and unload the washing machine because I could bend down without falling over.It means so much to be able to do everyday tasks independently,” commented SJ.
“I’m looking forward to the future,” enthused SJ. “Before I started using the Exopulse Mollii Suit my main goal was to not be confined to a wheelchair. Now I can think about experiencing and enjoying doing things I’ve not been able to before.”