Winter's Tail Helps Humans

CLEARWATER, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- She may be the only dolphin to lose her tail and survive. Now her progress in the water is helping amputees on land. The research behind the one-of-a-kind prosthetic is making life more comfortable for others who've lost a limb.

Winter the dolphin doesn't realize it, but she's a role model. She lost her tail to a crab trap nearly three years ago. She beat the odds and not only survived, but is thriving thanks to a prosthetic tail. The latest model allows her to swim while protecting her spine from injury.

"By using this prosthetic, she's able to move in a more natural way, the way dolphins were intended to move in the water," Abby Stone, head trainer at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Fla., told Ivanhoe.

From water … to land, Winter is helping humans too. The new rubber-like gel developed to keep the dolphin's tail secure underwater is working well for active amputees like prosthetic designer Dan Strzempka.

"Either golfing or working, the perspiration was always an issue," Strzempka, of Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics in Sarasota, Fla., told Ivanhoe. "They asked me, why don't you go ahead and try it on yourself. I thought, sure, I'll try it and give them some feedback. It ended up vastly improving my lifestyle as far as keeping the leg on."

Winter's progress not only inspires science but the people who need it. Brandon Saunders lost his leg in a boating accident and now works with the miracle mammal.

"I felt like we had something in common because we both had our accidents in the water and we both have prosthetic legs," Saunders told Ivanhoe.

It's a working relationship that's benefiting a new generation of amputees.

The new gel used in Winter's tail is already widely available, helping a growing number of human prosthetic patients around the world. As for Winter, though she'll never wear her prosthetic 24-7, trainers plan to increase her therapy time with it to improve her strength and prevent injury.

More Information

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Melissa Medalie at mmedalie@ivanhoe.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Dan Strzempka
Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics
(941) 377-5765