Taking Stock of 2025 at Össur UK: Expanding Our Offering, Advancing Technology, and Strengthening Partnerships

For most of my 12-year career at Össur, I have worked in the bracing & supports business unit. It’s only in the last two years that I’ve stepped into the prosthetics and neuro-orthotics fields. Throughout my bracing years, we’ve always stressed the importance of efficacy and the use of bracing for conservative management of unicompartmental osteoarthritis.

So when the ‘PROvision of Braces for Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis (PROP OA)’ study was rounded up and presented back to us at the beginning of this year, it was fantastic to see that the largest randomised control study of its kind had proven that bracing improves outcomes for patients with knee osteoarthritis.

There will be more to come, and we are expecting to see the publication very soon. But for the bracing industry as a whole, this has been really exciting, and it is empowering to see countless anecdotal pieces of our evidence being backed up by a study of this quality and magnitude.

Our parent company, Embla Medical, acquired Fior & Gentz in 2024, and we began selling direct to the market in the UK and Ireland in September 2024. Any acquisition is always a rollercoaster ride, and F&G has been no different. But seeing the difference these products make to patients makes it clear that this acquisition was perfectly aligned with Össur, our goals, and our mission to improve lives without limitations. Widening our offering to patients, pushing the technical boundaries of ankle-foot orthoses and knee-ankle-foot orthoses, and building awareness of this much-needed product range has been a real highlight of the year for me and for our UK business. In a short time, F&G has brought us the first-ever UK fitting of the NEURO HiSWING R+ – the first adaptive ankle joint with microprocessor-controlled hydraulics - and a perpetually developing product range. It feels like we’re only just getting started with F&G, so stay tuned. 

What an impact our three new products have made in the UK this year. Patient needs have been the driving force of the innovation built into our Pro-Flex Terra foot, the AeroFit liner, and the Navii knee. Seeing the product process from development to market readiness to patients thriving with these products has been incredible.

But I think what really stands out to me is the impact technological advancement has on individuals’ mental health and then the mental health of those around them. I'll take a snippet out of a recent piece of patient feedback:

“My ability to use the same foot in multiple environments was overwhelming, for both my wife and I. The benefits offered by the Pro-Flex Terra foot are endless, offering increased opportunities for me and my family and a significant improvement to my mental health and that of those around me.”

As for my personal highlight, I won’t forget walking the Dorset coast with our Power Knee ambassador, Chris Linnitt. That’s when I witnessed first-hand the symbiotic relationship of patient and product. Products are only made special by the patients who are using them and the products are vital to enable our prosthetic users to live and to thrive.

While we have the best minds in our R&D department, the most committed customer care team, a truly dedicated clinical and sales team, and a product range that is second to none, Össur cannot change lives by itself. The strength, determination, and resilience shown by our product users play a major part in our shared successes, and I’ve been so lucky this year to see many positive outcomes of the partnerships we have with our customers and product users.

Speaking on behalf of everyone in the UK Team, we are incredibly grateful for all of the collaboration with our customers, colleagues and product users alike in 2025. In 2026 it will continue to be a privilege for us all to work in such a brilliant industry where the result of progress improves peoples lives.