20.05.2026 – 10:02

Back in motion: Peggy’s rehabilitation success after a serious motocross accident

Back in motion: Peggy’s rehabilitation success after a serious motocross accident.

Peggy loves movement, motorcycles and freedom. During an enduro holiday, a serious accident left her with incomplete paraplegia. But a life without sports has always been out of the question. With the support of her loved ones and the C‑Brace Interim, she has been working her way back step by step, regaining confidence and independence.

Peggy Blanke (38) from Magdeburg is a passionate motorcyclist and enduro enthusiast. In 2022, she was seriously injured during a trip to the Czech Republic and sustained incomplete paraplegia.
During rehabilitation, she was told early on that she was heading for life in a wheelchair. For Peggy, that verdict became motivation. Her partner, friends and employer stood by her unconditionally through the toughest period of her life.
Sport became her way back into life. She discovered wheelchair tennis and, in 2025, won the German doubles championship. She also returned to the racetrack.
In early 2025, Peggy became the first user to trial the C Brace Interim leg orthosis on both legs for six months in everyday life. The treatment significantly expanded her training options and enables her to stand, walk and practise real-life movements with greater safety and confidence.

Wednesday, 20 May 2026

Peggy Blanke (38) is a woman who needs movement. Sport, speed, competition and community — all of it is part of her life. Based in Magdeburg, she has a particular passion for long rides through challenging terrain on her motorcycle. This form of motorsport is known as enduro, derived from endurance – and that's exactly what it demands: difficult terrain, long distances, total focus and the determination to push on even when the going gets tough. One day, Peggy would need that same endurance in a very different way.

A day out with friends – and suddenly, nothing is the same.

In 2022, Peggy travels to the Czech Republic with her chosen family. Her partner Tino and ten close friends are with her – people who share her passion and with whom she feels deeply connected. Then comes the accident that changes her life in seconds. After a fall in which her motorcycle lands on her spine, the Magdeburg‑based rider sustains incomplete paraplegia. She becomes one of around 140,000 people living with spinal cord injury in Germany [1]. From one moment to the next, nothing can be taken for granted. Not movement. Not everyday life. Not the future. During rehabilitation, she hears a sentence that initially shatters all hope: “A physiotherapist told me that I was heading for life in a wheelchair.”

While there, Peggy meets a fellow patient who leaves a lasting impression. Physically, he is more severely affected than she is. And yet, she encounters someone who radiates joy, who laughs with his children and refuses to give in to his fate. For Peggy, now 38, it is a moment of realisation: if this man can still be happy and find meaning in his life despite everything, then so can she. “I want to meet others on equal terms. I want to walk again,” she sets herself as a goal. That resolve becomes her driving force – a determination not to accept what has happened to her, but to push beyond it.

Two years in a wheelchair, fuelled by inner strength.

The accident takes a great deal from Peggy. Of all things, sport – the very source of her freedom, strength and identity – suddenly seems out of reach. But she never stops being an athlete. Peggy spends two years in a wheelchair. And yet she keeps searching for movement, for training, for the feeling of truly taking part in life rather than simply being treated. That search leads her to wheelchair tennis. What begins as a trial turns into ambition, and ambition into success: in 2025, she becomes German doubles champion. Sport gives her structure, self‑confidence and a sense of connection to herself once again.

Peggy has never lost her passion for motorsport either. While she no longer rides herself, she continues to accompany her friends to races and follows the action from the sidelines. What became a profound turning point through the accident remains part of her life – not as something lost, but as something that still belongs to her.

Who stays when everything falls apart?

After the accident, it isn’t only Peggy’s body that changes. Her world reshapes itself too. Some people move closer. Others drift away. A number of family members turn their backs on her – an experience that hits her deeply. All the more significant are the people who remain. At the centre is her partner, Tino. Her closest friends stand firmly by her side. And there is her employer. Peggy had only been with the company for a short time when the accident happened, yet she was not abandoned. To this day, she continues to work there in the field of medical technology and practice software. It is part of her story as well: the realisation that belonging can provide strength not only in private life, but at work too.

Interim orthosis: Training turns into inclusion.

A new chapter begins in early 2025. A few months earlier, Peggy learned about a new type of fitting solution for people with leg paralysis at a specialist trade fair. In the summer of 2025, she was given the opportunity to become the first person to trial the C‑Brace Interim leg orthoses – using them consistently in everyday life over a six‑month period.

With this, Peggy’s life takes a long‑awaited turn after the accident. The treatment opens up something that is often in short supply during rehabilitation: vastly more time to practise in real‑life settings. Rather than working on movement mainly in therapy sessions, she is able to train at home, on the move and in everyday situations with the interim orthoses. She practises more frequently, gradually increases the physical demands and, step by step, gains greater confidence and security.

This is where the C‑Brace Interim orthosis has its particular impact: it actively extends training time into everyday life. The treatment is primarily used in the early phase of rehabilitation and can be flexibly adapted as therapy progresses. Thanks to its modular design – built around the innovative C‑Brace orthotic knee joint, combined with thigh shells and an ankle-foot orthosis – it can evolve alongside the user’s development.

For Peggy, this means something very tangible: she is no longer solely reliant on a wheelchair. With the interim orthosis, she can stand again, practise taking steps, rehearse movement patterns and rediscover her body in everyday life. The temporary treatment helps her feel safer while walking and regain trust in her body’s movement.

Alexander Hardt, Market Manager NeuroMobility at Ottobock, explains the idea behind the innovative fitting solution: “C-Brace Interim is more than a device. It’s a completely new treatment concept that involves close cooperation between medical specialists, therapists and O&P professionals. This allows us to make the most of the rehabilitation period: patients can be verticalised and mobilised early on, effectively extending their active training time. As therapy progresses, this also allows us to identify the most appropriate long‑term solution for the patient and begin the application process early on.”

Looking ahead: from a temporary solution to permanent treatment.

For Peggy, the interim treatment marks the beginning of something bigger. She is currently waiting for approval of her definitive fitting with the C-Brace. While the interim orthosis has primarily helped her practise more in everyday life and build confidence, the computer‑controlled leg orthoses could offer her lasting freedom of movement in daily life, for example on uneven ground, on slopes and when climbing stairs.

For Peggy, the focus now is on firmly embedding what she has worked towards over the past months into everyday life: spending more time on her feet, not just practising movement, but living it as something natural and self‑evident. Her vision is clear: She doesn’t want to be defined by her paralysis; instead, she wants to work, play sports and live an active life. The right treatment can make all the difference.

Sport was never just a hobby; it helped Peggy reclaim her life.

Just how far Peggy has come was captured in a moment last summer: At the Magdeburg company relay race, she covered the final 200 metres to the finish line using an anterior walker. That moment of achievement stands for setbacks and perseverance, for training, patience and the courage to reclaim something she had once been told was no longer possible. Above all, it represents an experience Peggy now wants to pass on: after a life‑changing setback, you don’t have to manage everything on your own.

Peggy hopes to encourage others to hold on to the people who strengthen rather than limit them. Because with the right support, it is possible to build a life in which more becomes possible again – step by step, on equal terms.

[1] Ursachen für eine Querschnittlähmung (Causes of paraplegia) - Der-Querschnitt.de

Overview: C-Brace Interim orthosis from Ottobock

Modular knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO) for the early rehabilitation phase; suitable for selected users for up to six months of use.
Consists of three main components: an adjustable thigh shell, the C-Brace knee joint and an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO).
Expands training opportunities during the rehabilitation process and integrates training more firmly into everyday life.
Can be used as soon as the user is able to stand – or to restore the ability to stand.
Fast fitting: The interim solution can be adapted to users in around 4 hours.
Flexible during therapy: Thanks to its modular design, the subsequent definitive fitting can be scaled back to an AFO or upgraded to a C-Brace.
Great adaptability: The combination of the interim orthosis and C-Brace orthotic knee joint can be flexibly adapted to individual or changing needs.
Enhanced safety: Using the C-Brace joint unit can significantly reduce the risk of falling.
Suitable for unilateral and bilateral fittings for people with paralysis of the legs.
Suitable for users with a height of 155 to 190 cm.
Approved for a body weight of up to 110 kg.

Additional links

C-Brace Interim
Media information: C-Brace® orthotronic mobility system
YouTube – Peggy's Story trailer

About Ottobock
The publicly listed global medtech champion Ottobock combines over 100 years of tradition with outstanding innovation in the fields of prosthetics, neuro-orthotics and exoskeletons. Ottobock develops innovative fitting solutions for people with limited mobility and drives the digitalisation of the industry. Founded in Berlin in 1919, the company has nearly 9,300 full-time employees and is active in 45 countries today. It operates the largest international patient care network with around 420 patient care centres worldwide. With a strong R&D quota in the products and components business and more than 2,600 patents and patent applications, Ottobock is shaping the human bionics landscape of the future. The mission of improving people’s freedom of movement, quality of life and independence is deeply rooted in the company’s DNA – as is its social commitment: Ottobock has been a partner and supporter of the Paralympic Games since 1988.

Nadine Winter
Public Relations Managerin
Corporate Communications

Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA
Prenzlauer Allee 242 | 10405 Berlin | Germany
Telefon +49 1511 888 3507
E-Mail  nadine.winter@ottobock.de
 www.ottobock.com

Impressum
Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA, Firmensitz: Duderstadt, Deutschland, Handelsregister & -nummer: Amtsgericht Göttingen, HRB 205339; phG: Ottobock Management SE, Firmensitz: Duderstadt, Deutschland, Handelsregister & -nummer: Amtsgericht Göttingen, HRB 205183;
Vorsitzender des Verwaltungsrats: Professor Hans Georg Näder; Geschäftsführende Direktoren: Oliver Jakobi (CEO/CSO), Dr. Arne Kreitz (CFO), Martin Böhm (CXO), Arne Jörn (COO/CTO); Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats der Ottobock SE & Co. KGaA: Dr. Bernd Bohr