what is the latest techonolgy in prosthetic limbs?
Question by Vietboi-Tu: what is the latest techonolgy in prosthetic limbs?
so i was wondering about the world today. wondering, what if i were in some serious car accident and had to amputate my legs. would i be able to walk normally with prosthetics?
any how this led to my questioning of all prosthetics such as arms, hands, legs, etc. how much can we do with them? are they able to link in with the nervous system? can you differenciate a high quality prosthetic from a real limb from a distance?
Best answer:
Answer by Shelley
If you were in an accident and you had to loose a single leg you could most defiantly learn to walk normally. I wear an above knee prosthetic leg and I have a slight limp ( which is more noticeable when I’m tired or in pain) but for the most part no one ever notices. I walk in both flat shoes and high heels. below knee amputees have an easier time walking.
If you were a double above knee amputee your balance and gait ( walking with out a limp) would be trickier. This is because of the energy you would have to use and the lack of both knee joints. If it was double below knee it would be easier because the knee joints help considerably.
Don’t get me wrong you can’t just have an accident get a leg the next day and run a half marathon. You need to work your butt off and deal with the many changes a stump goes though. I’ve worn a leg since the age of 5 and I regularly have changes made to my socket because of weight changes and things break down.
A lot can be done but with all this awesome technology comes limits.
I wear a C-leg ( made by Otto Bock if you want to look it up) it’s an awesome computerized knee with a heafty price tag ( 30 -50 thousand dollars) It helps me walk down stairs and on uneven ground with relative ease. It helps prevent tripping and starts to speed up when I do. I love it to pieces but it isn’t for everyone.
What I don’t like about it is how delicate it can be. I can wear it in the rain safely enough but I can’t get it wet. I also can’t get it dirty and as a girl who loves to hike, canoe, and live in a province that surrounded by salt water and riddled with bogs you can see my problem. In order to do many of my beloved activities I need a second less high tech leg that can withstand exposure to water and muck.
high tech toys also come with high tech rules. Because they are so expensive there are lots of fussy warranty rules. What feet you can and cannot use, what parts can be used, who is allowed to fix your limb, how often it has to come in for repairs. While I didn’t like Otto Bocks foot rule I do love their customer service. My C-leg broke they gave me a loaner for 2 months while it was repaired.
As for arms there are all sorts of cool gadgets out there. The ilimb is kinda like the C-leg. Expensive, flashy, but it does have it’s limits and it doesn’t work for everyone.
There has been some mostly experimental work done on nerve linking. Anything that involves surgery makes me and many other amputees squeemish. I’ve had over a dozen revision surgeries on my stump, let me tell you when you open up any part of your body you run the risk of things going wrong. Infections can happen, nerves can be damaged, and all hell can break loose. While there has been work done on bone anchored and nerve linked limbs I’m not about to sign up for any type of limb that requires anything attached to my insides. One of the great things about my leg is I can take it off when it hurts and cuddle up in bed.
As for look limbs can be made to be super life like. Silicone has come a long way but you’ll pay out the nose for it. I will be getting a removable foam cover for when I do theatre productions. But for day to day use I like my blue and silver leg. It’s a fake leg and I’m okay with it.
Some great companies for you to look up are:
Touch Bionics
Otto Bock
and Ossur
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Prosthetists and Prostheses
I have had a few minor headaches dealing with my Prosthetist, cost being the main one. To me industry sees the word health and they triple the price ++.
However the bottom line is, as amputees, that we need our prosthetist that is an absolute. Hopefully you get along with yours. It is that important.++
Both prosthetists and prostheses play an important role in the rehabilitation of amputees. The right time to think about prostheses is when amputation is undergoing healing. However amputees need to understand the value of a good prosthetist and about various designs of prosthetic aids.
A prosthetist is the person who works with doctor and therapist in the process of rehabilitation of amputees. He is responsible for the processes of design, fitting and training of prostheses. The prosthetist and his work are of great and life long value to amputees as he is responsible for the success of prosthesis.
1) Amputees have to decide whether he will use prostheses or other mobility devices like crutches and wheel chair. It is better to take this decision after surgery when wound is healing. A prosthetic aid gives you more freedom than other mobility devices. The negative aspect of prosthetics is that it needs more of amputee’s time, will power and resources to learn to adopt it. A good prosthetist helps you in this crucial phase by encouraging you to adopt to the prostheses.
2) Socket Design & Discernment of Measurement: Prosthetist needs to have an eye for measurement and amputees need. It might be helpful if amputees could see him work with other patients. A good prosthetic aid is something personalized for an amputee especially the design of sockets. The accurate measurement leads to a good and comfortable fitting.
3) Fitting of Prosthetics: The prosthetist fits the prosthetic aid. It is not a simple and mechanical process. It needs feedback from the amputee and prosthetist. He will analyze the amputee gait and look for any deviation and then tend to correct it. Sometimes it might appear tiring for the amputee. He needs all the support and encouragement.
4) Follow Up and Training for Using Prosthetics: Amputee needs to follow up the training with prosthetist and therapist. It is crucial for regaining of functioning through prosthetics.
5) The Cosmetic Aspect of Prosthetics: Amputees have choices to have the prostheses with a good look and feel. He should talk about available choices and about his need for a cosmetic prosthetics to prosthetist.
6) The Functionality of Prostheses: A prosthetic aid is the artificial replacement of part or whole of lower limb. How much functionality an amputee can get from it depends on the acumen of prosthetist, the good fitting of prosthesis and the will power and dedication of amputee for training? Normal walking functionality of the limb could be regained with only some understandable compromise.
Latest Designs Of Prosthesis:
1) Prostheses And Amputation: Below knee and above knee are the most common lower limb prostheses. Other types depend on the level of amputation.
2) Post-operative Prostheses: Immediate Post-Op Prostheses (IPOPs) is applied in the operating room or soon thereafter. It helps speed recovery time, protects the wound from trauma, and reduces pain and swelling after amputation surgery. IPOPs are available in hand molded and prefabricated types. They are replaced with normal prostheses after healing of wound.
3) Cosmetic Prostheses: The life-like limbs are made from silicon and PVC. Expensive designs are customized to mimic freckles, veins, hairs and finger prints.
4) Robotic or Interactive Prostheses: Robotic prostheses have three components – biosensors to detect amputee’s nervous and muscular signals, an actuator mimics the force and movement of muscle groups, and a controller monitors and controls the activity of biosensors and actuators. These are made to be more intuitive for personal needs and are considered more efficient.
5) Neurocognitive Prosthetics is under research and they are different from usually available prostheses. The available prostheses are intended to be used for neuromotor functions or for walking or doing something with muscles. The neurocognitive prostheses support the mental functions and perception of sensations.
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