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Olympic Skier Michel de Carvalho recovers from shattered ankle with Orthomate model knee walker
By Lydia Lucas
June 23, 2025
Michel de Carvalho, Olympic skier and luger, recently fractured his ankle in several places while skiing competitively in Switzerland and was recommended our Orthomate knee walker by his surgeon – Mr Ioan Tudur-Jones at Fortius Clinic. We are delighted to recount Michel’s story and how we have helped him recover quickly, in time for his stage appearance in a rock band where he performed for over 300 friends in Naples just ten weeks later!
Michel de Carvalho has represented Britain in the Winter Olympics on three occasions for skiing and luge, and is also a keen golfer and cyclist.
Michel was competing in the AICC ( Amateur Interclub Championships ) in Switzerland in March and while pushing hard on the second run, came late into the last gate which catapulted him into the air and crashing through the Finish Line. He was unconscious for two minutes but improved on the first run time by 8 seconds placing him 3rd.
On a serious note, Michel was stretchered off to a local hospital where, after a clear CT Brain Scan, he signed a waiver to allow him to leave Hospital against the Doctors advice!
On return to the UK, Michel felt, although the swelling was reducing, that his ankle might be slightly more damaged than he anticipated and discovered it was actually fractured in six places which required immediate surgery!
Following a successful procedure, Michel’s Fortius Clinic Surgeon – the brilliant Ioan Tudur-Jones - recommended our The StrideOn Orthomate knee walker as the ideal mobility aid for recovery and was immediately able to use it for the first 4 weeks of recovery where no weight on the right foot was allowed day life.
Michel de Carvalho said, “ I am not sure how I would have survived without the StrideOn. It allowed me to get from watching TV to the Kitchen, to the loo, to the studio for singing rehearsals, and at night to the loo without having to balance on crutches which would have been truly exhausting “.
Michel (de Carvalho) used the knee walker to travel to Holland where it replaced any need for alternative support including a wheelchair around the airports.
Just ten weeks later, we are all delighted that Michel is on the road to making a full recovery and has, sadly, returned his knee walker to StrideOn. Last weekend he hosted parties for over three hundred friends in Italy and performing on stage with his rock band!
Michel de Carvalho said, “Almost with sadness but also relief, I will be returning the Knee Walker today. It has been an absolute godsend from the days of the foot in plaster and no weight bearing to the nights sleeping without the orthopaedic boot on but using the Strider for a night time loo visit before weight bearing was allowed.
Thank you so much for your patience and the renewals. You have a master product and while I hope to never need one again, I have many photos to remind me. I even travelled abroad with it to Holland.”