Amp U T chat is for amputees.
[amputee/_private/headerb.htm]| VOLUME 2 # 11 | MARCH 25, 1996 |
IN THIS ISSUE
1.) NOTES FROM John & Joyce
Can't see the Hyakutaka Comet through the cloud cover? Bored and disinterested in the Academy Awards? Join us for a special live chat!
ANNOUNCEMENT!! UPCOMING LIVE CHAT
MARCH 25th at 10:00 p.m. ET
PRIVATE CHAT ROOM NAME: WWPSSFS
Mike Curtis, CEO of WORLD WIDE PROSTHETICS SUPPLY (WWPS) will be a special guest on Monday night at AMP U T CHAT on AOL (March 25th.) Mike Curtis will be available to answer questions about the RINCOE SOCKET FITTING SYSTEM, the NEW RINCOE R-Hab Ankle.
Richard Rincoe was a former NASA engineer. One day, a visiting amputee friend, asked Richard if it would be all right if he removed his prosthetic leg, as it was giving great discomfort. Richard looked at the socket and his friend's leg and could immediately see that there was uneven contact between the residual limb and the socket. This is when Richard dedicated himself to designing a tool for prosthetists to make a better fitting socket. Rincoe, being a "problem solver," and calling on his experiences with NASA and engineering solutions, emerged from his work room with the Rincoe SFS. That was several years ago.
Richard Rincoe didn't stop there. He next determined his friend and other leg amputees would benefit from an ankle that was closer to what "nature" had originally created. Not finding one on the market that met his vision and qualifications, Rincoe designed and tested the R-Hab ankle. (Read more about these two products below.)
Mike Curtis first met Richard Rincoe in 1989 at an Electronics Expo in Denver.
Mike says, "We began to talk and talk and talk, and soon began to see things the same way. He told me what he was working on at that time. I took a great interest in the Prosthetic field since I knew what he was talking about. My Uncle is an amputee, and he was always telling my Dad of all the problems he was having. From that day, Rich and I became friends and now we are best of friends. We work together as a team to assist the prosthetist and the amputee by IMPROVING LIVES WITH SCIENCE."
RINCOE SOCKET FITTING SYSTEM
The Rincoe Socket Fitting Systen (Rincoe SFS) was designed by Richard Rincoe, to give prosthetists a tool to help them improve the fit of sockets. The extremely thin calibrated SFS sensors measure pressure within a socket. These reading can be taken while the amputee is standing still, walking, running, sitting and going up and down stairs. The prosthetist, using the SFS computer graphics, can visualized the impact his adjustments make to the fit and alignment of the socket.
This benefits the patient and the prosthetist by providing a diagnostic tool for the challenging hard to fit patients, decreasing fitting time, giving a more comfortable fit for all patients, especially those with lesions. It also enables the prosthetist to equalize pressure, eliminating the pressure points that can lead to skin breakdown.
The SFS can be used in conjunction with equipment already in use at the prosthetist's facility. The SFS can also be used very successfully when manually casting a socket. You don't even need a transparent socket to use SFS, though it helps.
The SFS actually reads the pressures (points) internally while standing and walking. The SFS includes: the SFS calibrated hardware unit with its 6 flat integral cables, a 30 ft. long communications cable, calibrated socket sensor strips, a 4 ft. gait position, foot trigger cable, gait trigger switches, and 3M medical tape. The SFS comes with a "step-by-step" operation manual, and the SFS graphics (user friendly) software disk. WWPS also has a nationwide technical support team and the SFS User Group with user support group phone numbers.
THE R-HAB ANKLE
World Wide Prosthetic Supply, Inc. has just introduced the world's first Multi-axis Mechanical Ankle with Dorsi-flexion assist. While the old 3C Hydraulic Ankle did have Dorsi-flexion, it also had the disadvantage of fluid inside that got pumped back and forth and would sometimes leak. The new R-Hab Ankle has no fluid at all.
This ankle will allow a patient a more natural gait pattern. At heel strike the foot will go into a foot flat position, as the leg passes over to mid-stance the ankle will lock solid at 90 degrees, until pressure from toe off is taken off, then the ankle will Dorsi-flex 22 degrees allowing the toes to clear the floor, placing the foot back ready for heel strike. All this takes place with no fluids. Getting up and down stairs and ramps, hasn't been this easy since Mother Nature created the original ankle, the R-Hab ankle makes walking "second-nature."
This ankle has been and is currently being tested at various locations around the country such as the Mayo Clinic.
This chat will be conducted using Q&A protocol. This is not difficult and information about Q&A format can be found below in the MEETING INFORMATION section (#4.) After the formal Q&A chat we will stay online for a non-structured (informal) chat. :)
If you want more info about Rincoe's SFS and the new R-Hab ankle, come to the CHAT. (You can reach WORLD WIDE PROSTHETIC SUPPLY at WWPS@aol.com.)
A VERY interesting Web page to look at:
http://pele.repoc.nwu.edu/nupoc/prosHistory.html
This page is from Northwestern University and is a history of amputations and prosthethics going back to before written history. What a wonderful job they did putting it together!
2.) "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR"
March 23, 1996
Hi Folks:
For you and others interested in OT and/or physical fitness for amputees, Ernest Burgess, MD and Al Rappoport, C.P, have just written a 250+ page illustrated book:
Physical Fitness: A Guide for Individuals With Lower Limb Loss.
The book is published by:
Rehabilitation Research and Development Service
Scientific and Technical Publications Section
103 South Gay Street
Baltimore, MD 21202-4051
It is free for the asking.
It covers such exercises as walking, running, aerobic dance, swimming, cycling, rowing, skiing, and other game sports. Specific exercises are tailored to different part of the body. In spite of it being published by the technical branch of RDDS, it is not a technical book and was written for amputees.
W. R.
THE ADVICE (DISCLAIMER)
Please be sure to read the information at this link at least once.
4.) HINTS AND TIPS
TIPS
Upper extremity
An easy to make tool for using (mechanic's) sockets: Take a 6-8" 3/8 drive extension (or whatever drive sockets you are using) and have a 1/2 20 bolt welded to the end with the opening on it. Heat the opposite end and bend at 90 degrees (like the letter "L".) I have found that taking a ratchet and welding the bolt to the handle results in too much "wabble" (not enough control).
Lower extremity
Convertible canes (the ones that fold into small chairs) can be a life saver if you are going to be on you leg(s) for an extended period of time, like waiting in line at a theater or going to the mall, etc.
Have a hint, tip, or suggestion? Please email us and we will consider it for use in the newsletter or chat room.
5.) QUOTE/THOUGHT FOR THE DAY (2 for today)
"Laughter is the tonic, relief and surcease for
pain."
--Sir Charles (Charlie) Chaplin
"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the
human face."
--Victor Hugo
(Therefore, tell somebody you love a good joke. [wink])
© Copyright March 25, 1996 J. Meyer. All rights reserved.