Chronic conditions such as diabetes and peripheral vascular disease were the leading cause of amputation for more than 60% of patients treated at Indiana University Center for Limb Loss (CLL), a Level 1 Trauma Center, according to a new retrospective study. In looking at the electronic medical records of 218 amputee patients who had been treated at the facility from 2016-2023, researchers found that 61% of amputations were related to chronic conditions compared to 39% related to acute trauma. In terms of sex, both subsets were comprised of approximately ⅔ male patients. Among patients undergoi ..read more

The US Amputee Football Federation (USAFF) provides participants with an environment and opportunity to regain hope that may have been lost after amputation. Through a sense of teamwork, competitiveness, and achievement, participating in football/soccer allows those with amputations to build physical strength, improve body awareness, balance, and coordination, and develop social skills. This supportive community can serve as a source of motivation for those struggling to manage their disability and integrating into their community, workplace, school, and family. Seeing other amputees play foot ..read more

Figure. Orthotics Analysis By reducing weight, lead times, and costs, 3-D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) offers significant opportunities for better customization in orthotic and prosthetic development. Today’s state-of-the-art scanning technologies allow for the design of components with complex geometries that can improve the functionality of orthoses and prostheses. And high-volume additive manufacturing using multi-jet fusion 3D printers can cost-effectively produce high feature density components in less time than traditional methods (figure). Source: Marchbanks L. Improving th ..read more

Surface finishing techniques increase scratch resistance and/or create a sealed, airtight surface therefore removing the porosity from the raw 3D printed part. Image courtesy of Dye Mansion North American Inc. While 3D printing has dramatically accelerated the customization process for manufacturing orthotics and prosthetics, it’s often today’s post-processing technologies that make those applications possible. The ability to create washable and sealed surfaces that maintain material properties or the chance to add any color you want – from Pantone to customized skin colors and all of that m ..read more

A recent survey found that experienced orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) device users with a chronic disability liked the range of care they received from certified O&P providers, were “very satisfied” with the device-related goals they had achieved, and reported they could not maintain their current level of function without certified P&O providers. The cross-sectional survey, done by Dan Mazur, MRSc, CPO(c), from the University of British Columbia and Anderson Orthopedics, used Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) to better understand the impact of certified O&P care on c ..read more

Figure. Typical trans-tibial pseudo prosthesis design. Prosthetic device users have a wide range of needs and prosthetists need to be aware of varying product offerings to meet those needs. Pseudo-prostheses allow able-bodied users to understand ambulation in a specific device, providing critical education about new products as well as ongoing training for evolving products. But how does walking on a transtibial pseudo-prosthesis compare to walking on an actual transtibial prosthetic limb? That’s the question researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation S ..read more

The post The Importance of Interface Materials first appeared on Lower Extremity Review Magazine ..read more

Figure. 2010 Prevalence of Multiple Sclerosis per 100,000 Adults Cumulated Over 10 Years in the United States by Age, Sex, Race, Ethnicity, and US Geographic Census Region: Northeast (Region 1), Midwest (Region 2), South (Region 3), and West (Region 4) According to a new study1 by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, multiple sclerosis (MS) is more prevalent – particularly among Black Americans – than previously thought. Using de-identified health insurance claims of 96 million adults living in the United States, the research team was able to estimate in more detail ..read more

Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is diagnosed when symptoms (perceptions of the ankle ‘giving way’, pain, weakness, or limited ankle range of motion) have persisted for more than 1 year after an initial lateral ankle sprain. Therapeutic exercise is a key treatment for overcoming neuromuscular deficits in CAI. In this study, researchers from Israel’s Ariel University wanted to compare the short, medium, and long-term effects of balance exercises combined with either peroneal neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or peroneal transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on dynamic post ..read more

The post High Heels Remodel Leg Muscles first appeared on Lower Extremity Review Magazine ..read more