Skadeförebyggande kläder för individer med skelettsjukdomar : Integrerade knäskydd för barn med skelettsjukdomar, olika medicinska diagnoser, men även barn som behöver extra stöd i vardagen.

Sammanfattning: The skeleton has several fundamental functions in the body, providing protection and structure and safeguarding organs, enabling movement and bearing of weight. The significance of having a complete and strong skeleton is essential for individuals, but it is far from certain for those with a skeletal disorder. Skeletal disorders can manifest in various ways, with the common condition of a more fragile skeleton that is prone to fractures under low force and load. Currently, there are over 450,000 individuals estimated to have the most common skeletal disorder, Osteoporosis, in Sweden alone. In 2019, it was estimated that a total of 124,000 fractures related solely to skeletal disorders occurred in Sweden, equivalent to 338 fractures per day. A registry extract from the Swedish Cause of Death Register in 2019 revealed that deaths related to osteoporotic fractures were the third leading cause of death in Sweden, following dementia and cardiovascular disease. Skeletal disorders not only result in a reduced quality of life for individuals but also impose a state cost of nearly 18 billion SEK per year. This cost exceeds the combined expenses of diabetes care and care for patients with multiple sclerosis today. Despite this, skeletal disorders, according to the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, remain an undertreated segment, with the majority of cases neither diagnosed, treated, nor provided with other preventive measures for fractures. For Sofie Hellström and her son Gabriel, their perspective on life changed in the summer of 2020 with a diagnosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a skeletal disorder. At Karolinska Institutet, they were offered a piece of mattress as hip protection. Sofie then discovered a global lack of functional clothing for individuals in need of extra protection in their daily lives. This became the starting point for the company OICAN and the vision of providing all children with the best conditions to explore the world. The aim of the project has been to create integrated knee protectors that can prevent injuries and fractures to the knee and femur. The goal has been to develop a pair of pants with integrated protection that does not compromise on protective capability, freedom of movement, or aesthetic design. The project has resulted in prototypes of integrated knee protectors for both adults and children, along with corresponding injection molding tools. In the final stages of the project, the prototypes have been integrated into pants and tested with excellent results.