THE MYSTERY OF FALSE LIMB

-


                                    

          The word “prosthesis” refers to an artificial substitute that replaces a lost limb or body part. Prosthetics is the field of knowledge relating to prostheses. A prosthetist is a person skilled in prosthetics and practicing its application.
          The first step in manufacturing an artificial limb is fitting a sleeve to patient’s healed stump. A plaster cast is then made, from which an exact duplicate of the stump can be formed. The model is then used to build a socket into which the new limb is fitted. So begins the journey on the road to producing a fully functional limb to replace the one lost. A newer, more efficient fitting technique is the use of CAD/CAM programs to measure the stump. Then a machine carves out an exact replica of the person’s remnant limb.
       The hydraulic knee joint fitted to a thermoplastic socket that can be heat-molded and reshaped for the patient’s comfort. Comprehensive illustrated catalogs of such items are available from a variety of sources worldwide.
       In the final stages of limb, construction, fine adjustment are made to align the socket, knee, skin, and foot parts in order to ensure the most natural gait possible. Last of all, a foam cover is prepared. This serves to conceal the bones of the artificial limb. The cosmetic finish is made to match the remaining natural limb as closely as possible.
      After a patient achieves a reasonable degree of confidence, arrangements are made for the patient to consult with a visiting orthopedic surgeon at the limb center. Thus, a professional final check is carried out to ensure the optimum use of the new limb.
                                         ARTIFICIAL LIMB FOR CHILDREN AND ATHLETES
            I learned that not long ago a European manufacturer shipped a container of components of prosthetic limbs for athletes to Sydney, Australia, for use at the Paralympics. These were supplied to competitors free of charge, and prosthetists, including some from New Zealand were on hand to help the contestants during the games.
             Some of the limb parts had been developed especially for athletes. A foot- and-ankle component constructed of a special material that duplicates the natural spring in a human foot.
              Prostheses are also fitted to infants as young as six months, because it provides training for later use of an artificial hand or arm. Without such training, the youngster grows up to be one-arm dependent and can find it difficult to adjust to the use of two arms later in life

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MYSTERIES BEHIND COLOR

-
      I understand how scarlet can differ from crimson because I know that the smell of an orange is not the smell of a grapefruit. I can also conceive that color have shades and guess what shades are. In smell and taste there are varieties not broad enough to be fundamental; so I call them shades…..The force of   association drives me to say that white is exalted and pure, green is exuberant, red is suggests love or shame or strength. Without the color or its equivalent, life to me would be dark, barren, a vast blackness.      Thus through an inner law of completeness my thoughts are not permitted to remain colorless. It strains my mind to separate color and sound from objects. Since my education began I have always had things described to me with their colors and sounds, by one with keen senses and a fine feeling for the significant. Therefore, I habitually think of things as colored and resonant. Habit accounts for part. The soul sense account for another part. The brain w
Read more

A NEW WAY OF LIFE

-
                                                        The world today is faced with the overwhelming problem of the MATERIALISTIC LIFE. So many people are concerned that their lives have no purpose or direction in them. Scientific discoveries over the past few years have done little to ease the burden of millions whose lives are far from what they should be. The cause of the suffering and pain pervading human life today is its total absorption in the material way of life. The soul of man is pushed into the background as if it did not exist.       This absorption with life as it is today has brought nothing but despair and disappointment. Those who have pursued the material way of life to its highest point have found it empty and wanting. They have come to realize that life has a deeper meaning, and the spirits and hearts of men have cried out for a release from the burden which they have placed upon themselves.   What the world needs now is a new way of life which will le
Read more

BEST FOR YOUR HEALTH; UP OR DOWN THE HILL?

-
                                    Does it make any health difference whether you exercise by hiking up or down a steep incline? Researchers say that in some ways it might.   Taking the stairs regularly is a simple and practical means to improving health. Researchers asked 69 sedentary employees to use the stairs at their place of work instead of the elevators. After 12 weeks, the workers aerobic capacity had increased by 8.6 percent, which gave them a 15 percent reduction in all-cause mortality risk. The workers also saw significant improvement in their blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, fat mass, and waist circumference. A study conducted on a mountain in the Alps where for two months 45 volunteers hiked up the 30-degree slope and rode a cable car back down. Then, for two months more, they did the opposite. While hiking in either direction helped lower bad cholesterol, the study suggested that hiking uphill was more effective for lowering levels of fats cal
Read more