For children and adults with neurological conditions, sensory dynamic garments offer a comfortable, flexible alternative to rigid bracing — using the power of compression and proprioceptive feedback to improve movement, posture, and body awareness.
What are Sensory Dynamic Garments?
Sensory dynamic garments — also known as Dynamic Movement Orthoses (DMOs) or dynamic Lycra orthoses — are close-fitting, custom-made garments manufactured from a specialist elastomeric fabric. Unlike rigid orthoses, they work by applying gentle, even compression across the body segment they cover, stimulating the sensory receptors beneath the skin to improve proprioception — the body’s awareness of its own position and movement in space.
Reinforcement panels, strategically positioned within the garment, add a biomechanical element to this sensory input — gently guiding the limb or body segment into better alignment and encouraging improved muscle activity and postural control.
Because they are soft, lightweight, and flexible, sensory dynamic garments are often well tolerated by children and adults who find rigid devices uncomfortable or distressing. They can be worn under everyday clothing and adapted for individual needs, including access for toileting and feeding.
How Do They Work?
The science behind the stretch
The close fit of the Lycra fabric against the skin stimulates proprioceptive receptors — tiny sensory detectors that tell the brain where the body is in space. For people with neurological conditions, these signals are often disrupted. The compression from the garment helps to ‘top up’ these signals, improving the brain’s awareness of the affected limb or body part. At the same time, reinforcement panels within the fabric apply a gentle directional force that guides the body towards better alignment and posture. Over time, wearing the garment can help the brain to learn and retain improved movement patterns — a process known as neuroplasticity.