Tamarack GlideWear™ Technology for Animal O&P
Tamarack Pillowcase with GlideWear™ Technology
Many people will benefit from a silk-like, very smooth pillowcase – even better if the coefficient of friction is less than 0.2, such as GlideWear offers. For people with a disability especially, a GlideWear pillowcase can offer increased comfort, skin protection (if a pillow is used under/between legs/feet or to prop/position a person in bed), and improved independent ability to move/reposition the head (example; in the case of a person with low muscle strength from spinal muscle atrophy, Duchene muscular dystrophy or other neuromuscular problems).
GlideWear Preply (raw material)
GlideWear low CoF technology is very difficult to sew because one layer is very slippery against the other. So, Tamarack developed methods for cutting and sewing GlideWear. GlideWear preply appears to be a single layer, but is the two copmponent layers oriented properly and held together with special water soluble adhesive. After cutting and sewing, wash out the adhesive to ‘activate’ the GlideWear. Preply panel in dimensions 60”X60”, 60”x30”, and 30”x30” are available for manufacturers to use for fabrication. Individuals may find it helpful to purchase this raw material for constructing personal solutions at home. Please contact Tamarack for more information about this option, and for critical information about how to use it properly.
Epidermolysis Bullosa with GlideWear™ Technology
Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare condition in which the skin is so fragile that even the slightest bit of friction causes blistering, and even skin loss. According to Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of America (debra of America), there are 20,000 people in the US living with EB.
The GlideWear™ Technology is a patented, ultra-low-friction fabric that’s widely used in medical and sports applications where skin is at risk for injury caused by friction, shear, rubbing, and breakdown. It’s a two-layer fabric that protects skin by gliding smoothly against itself and absorbing the harmful friction and shear that can damage skin.
First GlideWear product design: GlideWear SIT
Tamarack began using GlideWear for wheelchair seating applications and called this first product design the ‘GlideWear SIT’. The GlideWear SIT (Seat Interface Technology) cover uniquely offers skin protection from shear forces strategically in the high-risk areas of the ischial tuberosities, and simultaneously retains the postural stability needed for function.
*Possible availability on a custom basis through a Durable Medical Equipment Supplier or other distribution means
Wheelchair positioning; headrest covers
The head support people need as a component of theuir seating and positioning can cause irritation on the scalp, hair loss, and make it more difficult to move ones head slightly (n cases on muscle weakness). The opportunity GlideWear provides is siginificant as it relates to comfort, skin protection, and function. Tamarack generated GlideWear covers for many varieties of commercially available and custom made head supports, including those manufactured by OttoBock, Stealth, i2i, and others.
Use of a GlideWear Prosthetic Liner Patch in a Total Contact Cast (TCC)
Even underneath the stability of a cast, wound dressings (and fragile, wounded tissue) can be shredded by shear forces. A strategically-placed low-friction interface reduces the shear forces on the dressing and the underlying wound.
For additional information contact Tamarack Clinical Team
Available to professionals through O&P industry suppliers. To see a list,
Available to consumers through Ithaca Sports.
GlideWear pad
The GlideWear pad can be used in bed or in a furniture type chair to provide a low friction interface. While not intended to be a transfer aide, it will make subtle movements easier and some users report using it to help them get into position on the bed or in the recliner chair. Various sizes have been prototyped and used successfully.
For additional information contact Tamarack Clinical Team
GlideWear bed surface applications – draw-sheet, undersheet, specialty wound mattress covers, (Concept)
The bed surface is a location that often causes skin damage, most notably on the tailbone (sacrum and coccyx) and on the back of the heels and side ankle bones (calcaneus and malleolus) when a person is in bed for extended periods of time. Elevating the head of a hospital type bed increases shear forces 9due to gravity pulling the person downwards). Avoiding elevating the head of the bed is recommended, but not always possible to avoid. Turning, repositioning and using various pads are common ‘good practices’, and use of specialty skin protection mattresses help, but none of these practices/interventions also incorporates a way to reduce friction in the trouble/at risk areas. Adding GlideWear strategically reduces the shear stress (from friction between the skin and the bedsheet). GlideWear pillowcases (GW-PCS), the GlideWear heel and ankle protection socks (GW-SX6), and GlideWear Underwear or Shorts are also effective additions for the person who is in bed for extended periods of time. The following images show multiple ways that GlideWear has innovatively been used on bed surfaces:
For additional information contact Tamarack Clinical Team
