Who Turned Underwear Into a Tripping Hazard?

PRESS RELEASE

Berlin, October 20, 2026 . World Osteoporosis Day

Who Turned Underwear Into a Tripping Hazard?

For World Osteoporosis Day: Getting Dressed Without Bending Over

Everyone knows that moment when putting on the slip: One leg hangs in the air, the other bears the entire body weight, the back bends forward, and the foot searches for the narrow opening for the leg of the slip. Tightrope walkers have a balancing pole and a safety net for situations like this. Anyone putting on the slip in the morning has only a hard floor and no one to cheer them on.

With osteoporosis, bones are brittle, so even a simple fall can cause a fracture. To mark World Osteoporosis Day on October 20, Ladig & Winkler GmbH in Berlin is highlighting this moment. The company distributes saba Waesche, underwear for people with physical disabilities (www.saba-waesche.de/shop).

How often does a fall result in a fracture?

First, the good news: Most falls result in no serious injury. But about one in five falls among older adults results in an injury, and less than 1 percent results in a hip fracture.

The not-so-good news: Up to 27.5 percent of people aged 65 and older who live independently fall every year.

More than 5.5 million people in Germany live with osteoporosis. In 2019, statistics showed 831,000 bone fractures due to brittle bones. The German Society for Trauma Surgery estimates approximately 160,000 femoral neck fractures annually.

What could help?

A chair can make a difference. People with osteoporosis can sit down, slip their feet into their underwear one at a time, and only stand up once they're ready to pull them up. Then they're standing on two feet, and the balancing act is a thing of the past. This works with any type of underwear.

One part of the morning routine remains dangerous for osteoporosis patients, however: they have to pull their underwear up, which requires them to bend forward and downward. But experts recommend that people with osteoporosis should not bend forward too far.

This is where saba underwear comes in. The saba underwear is very specialy designed: it's split vertically down the front on both sides. You simply wrap it around your body and then fasten it in the front. No foot has to go through an opening, no leg is bent, and your back stays upright.

_"Anyone with osteoporosis should be mindful of the risk of falling when getting dressed. People at risk of falling can put on saba underwear without bending their legs or back. That can take one worry off their minds in the morning."_

Gisela-Elisabeth Winkler, Managing Director of Ladig & Winkler GmbH

People with osteoporosis should discuss with their doctor which everyday movements are safe.
We'll leave the tightrope walking to the circus.

Sources

. Fall frequency and fracture risk: Lorentzon et al., Osteoporosis International 2025, https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/503904/1/s00198-025-07630-x.pdf

. Number of people with osteoporosis and 831,000 fractures (2019 data): IOF Country Profile for Germany 2023, https://www.osteoporosis.foundation/sites/iofbonehealth/files/2024-02/2023_country_profile_de-german.pdf

. 160,000 femoral neck fractures (German Society for Trauma Surgery): Press Kit for World Osteoporosis Day 2025, Osteoporosis Germany, p. 4

. Everyday tips for vertebral fractures (don't bend too far forward; bend your knees while keeping your back straight): Techniker Krankenkasse, as of February 2, 2026,

. Everyday movements with osteoporosis: IQWiG, InformedHealth.org, 2023,

Ladig & Winkler GmbH
Schulzendorfer Str. 32g
13467 Berlin
Germany

https://www.saba-waesche.de

Frau Gisela-Elisabeth Winkler
+49 (0)30 40536020
+49 (0)30 40536030
service@saba-waesche.de

The company Ladig & Winkler GmbH was founded by sisters Sigrid Ladig and Gisela-Elisabeth Winkler when, while providing home care, they realized that there was no suitable and functional underwear available for people with physical limitations. They designed the saba underwear, which master tailor Sigrid Ladig developed until it was ready for the market. They call it saba underwear.
The underwear is patented in Europe (2011) and won a gold medal at the IENA 2008 inventors' fair. Ladig & Winkler GmbH in Berlin has been distributing it since 2010 and has it sewn in small batches in Germany from 100% cotton (OEKO-TEX Standard 100). saba Waesche can make getting dressed easier for people with rheumatism, osteoarthritis, after a stroke, with multiple sclerosis, after surgery, and in many other situations involving limited mobility.

This release was published on openPR.