Category Archives: Our Products

Three years ago, Kristin Hartness and Jay Yontz, a North Carolina couple and animal advocates, followed their dream and found a non-profit named after their pet pig – Ziggy’s Refuge Farm Sanctuary – on their 85 acre historic farm. It’s full of love and magic because of the 62 rescued animals they have there. The majority of these animals having special needs – including many with prosthetics and braces. Moko, the sheep, is their most sensitive case!

Kristin rescued Moko and his sister Jumbie when they were only 12 weeks old. They had been told that there were two sheep that had suffered from frostbite, and needed a home with specialized care. When Kristin and Jay went to see them, Moko had already lost both back feet. Both sheep had als o lost the tips of their ears from frostbite. Kristin described what she saw as “the most angelic white ball of perfection.” 

Krisitn immediately took both sheep to the University of Tennessee for a complete examination, and they found that Moko has severe bone spurs in his back nubs. For Moko, this felt like walking on knives. After surgeries and prosthetics, Moko was still having issues with his back legs, so they decided to try out a wheelchair. It worked great until both of his front carpals collapsed. Now, the sweetest sheep on earth has four severely compromised legs. Moko now wears braces on his front legs and prosthetics on the back. 

Moko and Jumbie have lived inside the couple’s house since they brought them home. It was going to be temporary, but now Moko sleeps in the bed with them. “So, that’s the end of that story,” says Kristin. 

According to Kristin, Moko is a dreamboat and is the happiest most-loving creature they have ever encountered. They knew he deserved a chance, and they promised Moko that they would do anything in the world to give him the best life ever. Totally opposite of her brother Moko, sister Jumbie is wild and rebellious. For Krisitn and Jay, Moko and Jumbie are perfect companions.

Knit-Rite Soft socks have been game changers for Moko, as they add and subtract socks whenever there is swelling. The socks not only keep him comfortable from day to day, but also helped him heal when bandaging wouldn’t heal open wounds on his nubs. Knit-Rite socks were the only solution for him!

Even though our socks were designed with humans in mind, we are excited to know that our mission of improving lives extends to animal kingdom, as well! Thank you Kristin Hartness for sharing Moko’s story with us!

Cheers,

The final countdown is on!!! With less than 5 weeks until my due date, I thought I would share a few of the things that have helped me get through this pregnancy, well, almost! Now, let me say, every pregnancy and person is SO different.  Some mommies don’t swell while others don’t have pelvic pain. These have been two of my biggest issues.

Below are the three items that made a difference in my pregnancy and I would definitely recommend them to my amputee preggo mommies. (And, I have even included equivalents for my non-amputee mommies.)

1. Soft Sock. Well, I actually needed this product before I even got pregnant. Soft socks are used like any other socks.

You wear your socks under your shoes; I wear my soft socks under my socket. Soft Sock fibers wick moisture away from the skin and inhibit odor. The best part is that they feel soft and cuddly worn next to my skin. For me, this is very important, since my skin is much more sensitive now that I am pregnant.

And for my non-amputee mommies, SmartKnit socks are made from similar materials for all those same wonderful reasons.

2. Shrinkers. Like most pregnant women, I’ve gained weight during this pregnancy. Duhh, this is the only time in my life where it is acceptable and expected!!! I am going to do it, guys. Happy Holidays! LOL! But more than anything, I swelled, a lot! I stopped wearing my wedding ring, and my limbs inside my prostheses were definitely more than snug. Unfortunately, I can’t just buy bigger clothes to fit or wear compression tights/socks to help with the swelling. After talking with my prosthetist, he suggested that I wear Knit-Rite shrinkers.

No lies here – I wore the shrinker all night like I was told. The next day I was able to fit into my socket without forcing myself into it. I was sooo happy! It’s not pleasant when you can’t fit into your walking legs – trust me!!! The compression prosthetic shrinker is usually used for control or prevention of edema following amputation surgery, for limb volumetric maintenance, to minimize hypertrophic scarring and to give compressive support for pain relief. But in my case, it definitely helped with my pregnancy swelling and I hope it will continue for the last 5 weeks!

As for my non-amputee mommies, I recommend Preggers maternity support leggings and our Core-Spun socks! They will give you the same effect as the shrinkers while looking fabulous. Aren’t you lucky? 😉

3. Preggers Maternity Support Bands. This is one we can all use!

Since I didn’t gain THAT much weight during this pregnancy, I didn’t think I would have too many back or pelvis issues. Boy, was I wrong. When I was about 33 weeks pregnant, I woke up with so much pelvic pain that I could barely make it to work. I kept thinking something was wrong with me, and I ended up visiting my OB/GYN . She said that this is a normal pregnancy issue, and I just need to wear a belly band to support my belly and hips. There are many types of belly bands out there, but of course I wore a Preggers by Therafirm Maternity Support Band.

This seamless garment is made from super stretchy fibers and expands during the varying stages of pregnancy. The supportive band helps ease back discomfort and provide active moms additional abdominal support. And yes, after wearing one of these maternity support bands for a few days, my pain started to go away! It’s amazing how a simple material that supports just a tiny bit of your belly can relieve pain from your back and pelvis.

I can’t imagine finishing the last 5 weeks of my pregnancy without all of these products. Like I said earlier, every pregnancy is different and not all of these products are right for everyone. But they are right for me, and they might be right for you too! Give them a try!

Have you seen the movie Stronger? It came out last year as a way to memorialize the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. It has a special connection to me because I am an amputee and a marathoner! It also has a special meaning to Knit-Rite because they used one of our products in the movie.

For a dose of something different, I thought I’d do a review on this awesome movie. So here it goes…

Photo Courtesy of mandfilms.com

What is it about? STRONGER is a fact-based drama that takes on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. On April 15, 2013, Jeff Bauman was near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, holding a handmade sign in support of his runner-girlfriend Erin. When she was still about a mile away, the two bombs went off, killing three people and injuring hundreds, including Bauman who lost both of his legs that day. When he regained consciousness in the hospital, he was able to provide the FBI a detailed physical description of one of the bombers leading to apprehension. Immediately, Bauman was hailed as a hero – both locally and nationally. The film does a nice job of telling Bauman’s story and how his life unfolded over the next few months. As he struggles with his new life challenges, including PTSD and adjusting to life as an amputee, he strives to do better. But, he simply doesn’t understand why he is viewed as a hero, and doesn’t particularly embrace what comes with that label, at least early on. (Welcome to my world in more ways than one – see last week’s blog. 😉 ) I won’t reveal the ending in case you haven’t seen it yet. But it is definitely worth the watch.

What do I think about the movie? Of course, at its core, this is an incredible story about how a normal guy had his life altered in a moment, as well as how he reluctantly became a hero after a tragic event.

Photo Courtesy of time.com

This movie has educated people about the bombing, losing limbs and the long physical and mental recovery. I appreciated how the film focused on the everyday struggles of adjusting to life as an amputee — waking up, going to put your feet on the floor and falling flat on your face (phantom feeling), navigating large crowds, getting in and out of a car, and attempting stairs — all of the things you take for granted before an injury like this.

Why is it special to Knit-Rite? During production, the movie reached out to Knit-Rite and asked us to send them one of our products for the film. You might remember the scene after the surgery where his legs are wrapped in two white garments. These are our famous Compressogrip Shrinkers.

Compressogrip Shrinkers are mainly used post-surgery to reduce the swelling of the limb, and to prepare and shape it for prostheses fitting in the near future. It was so awesome to see our product being used on the big screen. Big shout out to the movie producers for being so honest and accurate.

Things I wasn’t sure of? Jake Gyllenhaal is an excellent actor. However, I researched and learned that amputee actors were not given an opportunity to try out for the role. I do wish that actors with disabilities were at least given the opportunity, even if it ultimately went to Gyllenhaal.

Photo Courtesy of time.com

Although, he portrayed Bauman very well, who better would know the true emotions of what Bauman experienced than someone who had a similar limb loss story.

Finally, the language factor. Despite the movie being a true story, and the point of the movie is to show the tragic truth, I do wish the language was a little more PG! The movie has way too many F-bombs, and I wouldn’t want to show it to children. And sadly this is a lost opportunity to educate them. Even though we know that kids all know the bad words, the sheer amount of F-bombs was over the top. I do understand that this is the way the characters actually speak, but appealing to a younger audience would only benefit the lesson we can all learn from this situation.  This story needs to be shared with all but because of the language, it is limited.

Overall, it’s an excellent story about tragedy and recovery. This movie is an eye-opening learning opportunity about life after amputation! Be sure to put it on your viewing list, and let me know what you think of it!

Extra credit if you can spot Knit-Rite’s shrinker! 😉

Happy Viewing!

As you already know, I always talk about prosthetics and amputation. Why? Well probably because this is a big part of my life, and I enjoy sharing it! And since Knit-Rite is the world’s leading developer and manufacturer of innovative prosthetic and orthotic textile products for the last 90+ years, I can relate to this topic.

However, today I would like to introduce you – my two-legged friends – to Knit-Rite’s sister company called Therafirm! One of Knit-Rite’s missions is to improve the lives of those who use our products. That goes far beyond prosthetics and orthotics.

Therafirm is a division of Knit-Rite and a manufacturer of quality compression hosiery and socks. The true gradient compression offered in Therafirm hosiery and socks delivers a controlled amount of pressure greatest at the ankle and gradually decreases toward the top of the stocking to promote blood flow, assist in preventing swelling and provide relief for tired and achy legs. Gradient compression hosiery is ideal for anyone who sits or stands for long periods of time, frequently take long flights, pregnant women, or anyone dealing with vein issues or DVT.

Therafirm includes several brands to offer the therapeutic benefits of gradient compression to different markets. Those brands include Preggers, our maternity compression line; Core-Sport and TheraSport, for athletic compression; and GOGO, Ease and CoreSpun, for comfortable and fashionable, easy-to-wear everyday compression.

Maternity compression

Athletic compression

Comfortable and fashionable compression

Eeasy-to-wear everyday compression

Another couple Knit-Rite brands that we don’t mention on our blog very often is SmartKnit and SmartKnitKIDS. SmartKnit features a line of diabetic socks, as well as AFO and KAFO socks.  SmartKnitKIDS focuses on seamless socks and undergarments for children with sensitivity issues such as sensory processing disorder and autism.

The goal of all the brands is to make the best quality products with the intention of improving lives of those who use our products! Isn’t cool how each brand and every single one of our products helps someone with some sort of medical need.

For more information on KnitRite, Therafirm, or any of our brands, please see the links to each brand above.

You can also find many of our products, such as Therafirm, Preggers, Core-Sport, TheraSport, Ease, CoreSpun, SmartKnit diabetic, SmartKnit AFOs and SmartKnitKIDS, on Amazon.

Thanks,

Since August is almost over, summer beach days, water sports, and warm weather fun are about to be just a memory until the next summer, unless you are from a warm state or country. Luckily for me, I live in Kansas City, where it’s the perfect time of the year for a hike in the great outdoors!

Image courtesy of blanscape at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Before heading out on any hike, be sure to check with your prosthetist. You’ll want to ensure that your fit is perfect for your desired level of activity, that all components are working as they should be, and that your overall prosthesis is fit for the challenge.

What to Bring

Depending on your amputation level and interface, you will want to bring a few things along to help you with this hike experience – especially if it is your first one.

First of all, bring a friend or several to join you on your hike. A friend provides safety in numbers, as well as someone to share the scenery and the fun!

Bring a good set of adjustable hiking poles, especially for hiking in rugged terrain. These help with both balance and even assistance with creating power while ascending, and breaking while descending.

It is important to wear proper foot wear. In this case a pair of lightweight, supportive shoes is best. The bottom of the limb takes a lot of force with extreme activity. A good set of shoes can help decrease some of the shock on the body and the limb. After all, if you only have one ankle, you obviously don’t want to injure it!

Always carry good quality prosthetic socks of a couple different plies. This is a crucial element when volume management is required, especially during high activity.

For more information about Knit-Rite soft socks, please visit our website.

Have a small container of chafe guard or barrier cream handy. This can be used to manage specific points of friction that may occur once temperature and sweat levels increase. Socket fit may be fine on a day-to-day basis, but hiking on uneven surfaces can create a lot of different pressure points that may not be present during normal daily activities.

Bring a small Allen wrench or any other useful tools for adjusting your prosthesis. While making your own alignment adjustments is not recommended, having the ability to tighten a bolt that may somehow have worked its way loose may be the difference between hopping and walking back from the trail.

And here is my personal favorite one – don’t forget all-time favorite fix it item: duct tape. We all know that there are 101 things duct tape can fix, and a prosthesis can be one of them! Whether it’s repairing a suspension sleeve that is torn on rocks, an unexpected broken foot or even an emergency suspension method, duct tape can get you out of a jam.

Image courtesy of Yongkiet at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Finally, remember the important things that all hikers should carry with them; such as a sturdy back pack, all important water and perhaps a nutritious snack for the trail.

Enjoy Fall season and don’t forget to safely hike and explore!

Tanya

Having a clean liner, prosthesis and prosthetic socks is very important for many reasons, but the main reason is to avoid future infections or issues with your limb. This is especially true in the summer since lots of sweating occurs, a clean socket and socks are a must. Here are some tips on how to keep your all your prosthetic gear clean.

First of all, always clean the gel liner daily. The inside of the gel liner is in constant contact with your skin. Because of this constant contact, you’ll want to make sure your gel liner is kept clean to prevent health issues and make your liner last longer. Cleaning the liner is a simple process and can be done by following these steps:

1. Remove the liner from the prosthesis.
2. Spot clean the outside of the liner if needed and turn the liner inside out.
3. Wash the gel section of the liner with anti-bacterial soap and warm water.
4. Fully rinse the soap off of the liner and dry it with a clean cloth.
5. Finally, turn the liner right side out and store it for future use.

Another thing to wash daily is your prosthetics socks or sheaths, just like any other sock or undergarment. Wearing a prosthesis sock or sheath for more than a day can cause the sock to quickly wear out and may pose a health risk. You’ll want to make sure that you are washing your prosthetic socks on a daily basis and are always wearing a fresh one. A few things to know – If your sock becomes soaked with perspiration, you should change it as soon as possible. Washing a sock will help keep it clean and restore it to its intended shape. Always follow washing instructions provided by the manufacturer to maximize the life of the sock and sheath.

Although daily cleaning isn’t necessary for your socket due to not actually coming in direct contact with your skin, keeping it clean is still very important. Cleaning the socket will keep your artificial limb functioning properly and can help reduce unnecessary wear. Here are some steps to completely clean the inside of the prosthetic socket.

1. Clean the inside socket at least once a week with soap and warm water.
2. Lightly spray the socket with an alcohol-based cleaner and then wipe the socket dry.
3. Make sure to keep any locking or pin mechanisms clean and free of obstructions.

Always be careful when cleaning your prosthesis. Your prosthesis may have certain parts that could be damaged, broken or otherwise ruined during a cleaning. Electrical components, mechanical devices and certain models of prosthesis can all be damaged by water or corrosive cleaning agents. Always talk with your prosthetist to learn more about how to safely clean your unique prosthesis.

Let’s be honest, bodies stink! It doesn’t matter if you have legs or if you don’t, our daily movements generate sweat and it smells, sometimes badly! Let’s help each other by always washing our socks, cleaning our sockets and gel liners. We aren’t just helping our neighbors, but also helping to keep skin free from infection and increasing the life of our prosthetic gear! It’s a win-win!

Tanya