Inform us about your thoughts. Just write your view in this section. We welcome both positive and critical feedback and thank you in advance for your contribution.
artlimb
The Art of Prosthetics
Inform us about your thoughts. Just write your view in this section. We welcome both positive and critical feedback and thank you in advance for your contribution.
OSSEOINTEGRATION great information. I would like to see pictures on your site showing below knee osseointegration and also what the stump looks like not attached to the prosthesis
Hi Tanya, thanks for your feedback. At the moment, above knee (trans femoral) osseointegration surgery is much more common than for below knee (trans tibial). At the moment we do not have any photos of the transtibial level but will add them along with some more in depth information soon. We are already looking through our archives for some photos of just the stump and the abutment which should be up in a few days.
All the best,
ArtLimb Team
Hi Tanya, please click on the links below to see two additional photos of transfemoral stumps. Alternatively, to see these photos, visit OSSEOINTEGRATION page. Thank you!
http://www.artlimb.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Osse_Stump_2.png
http://www.artlimb.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Osse_Stump_1.png
Hi this is a great site, can we see some photos of any new cover designs, e.g. photo image.
Hi Raymond, it great to hear you like the site. Initially we concentrated on explaining prosthetics in functional terms, however your question is very interesting. We are currently collecting photos of different cosmetic solutions and once we have something interesting to demonstrate, we will inform you here.
Thanks for your feedback,
ArtLimb Team
Great to see the site up and running , yes i am late Sorry ,,, need any info and help feel free to as away , 45 yr old male (wombat) Skydive instructor , rides WR 450 MX motor bike , fishes from my boat and try and catch me , yes BLK amputee , currently working on a new leg with ****** QLD . Well i must State when they asked me in 1999 to test this i was well freaked out , but now researching i am a very changed mind and person WOW , I know not to advertise but google and research . Tony Redcliffe QLD .
Hello Tony, it great to know you are reading our website. You are right, we do not advertise products or service. So we have not published links. Thanks for your feedback and see you soon.
I see by the picture that I have a fungal infection on my stump. You mention seeing a specialist–what kind? Dermatologist? Prostheticist (mine had no idea what it was). Oncologist? Proctologist 😉 ?
Any suggestions for home care?
Hello Penny. Thanks for feedback. We’re glad you found the information on skin conditions useful. In terms of giving advise we are only a general source of information and cannot replace you prosthetic or medical specialist. If you think you have of the mentioned skin conditions you should be examined by a medical doctor. If you live in Australia you need to talk to your GP (General Practitioner) who will examine you and prescribe treatment or refer you to a dermatologist if required. All the best, ArtLimb team.
Hello. I have been a below knee amp for 35 yrs.
I am classed as a Cat 5 amp High activity.
When I 1st got my prosthetic legs. I tried a lot of different types. Condyle supported legs, Iceross Peel liner & PTB strap.
Condyle legs;- Grab onto the condyles above your knee no need for PTB straps. The socket was comfortable. When I walked or sat I could not handle pressure on the condyle points. Sorry not for me.
Iceross peel liner;- Well they are comfortable. Any activity above sitting causes excessive perspiration leaving a lot of sweat in the liner. I was told that my body would get used to it and adjust, so i persisted and ended up with skin ulcers which had to get cut out, it took awhile to recover. Sorry not for me.
PTB straps legs with liners;- Not as much sweating as Iceross peel liners, but still going through heaps of stump socks, which causes skin irritations but no skin ulcers.
PTB leg, no liner, straight – stump – socket fit with stump socks. Wooden leg with a sash foot. This type of socket is such an old style of socket, I think it dates back to WW2.
With this leg I have added a strap that goes around my waist and attaches to the PTB strap. I only change stump socks maybe once a day and then only when doing Cat 5 high level activity for 4 – 5 hrs.
So old technology is not too bad. Coupling old style socket with new carbine fiber feet.
I am going through the same procedure as 35 yrs ago, trying new legs / feet, hoping the technology & design have developed.
At the moment I am testing a water proof leg from America. It has two lock positions, walking & fully extended. This leg feels dead to walk on. With every step, Jarring right up my back.
I’ve been looking at a water proof leg with a Rush foot. Q/ Is the rush foot return more heel absorbing / toe off energy – more alive then the other.
Comments please.
Hi Peter,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
How you came about finding the best solution for you is very important and individual process. As we do not know your specific circumstances it would be unprofessional of us to comment on your previous results but we are glad you have found a system that works for you.
In general we would like to mention that modern prosthetic technologies and components are usually introduced into practice because their predecessors could not provide a satisfactory result for everyone.
It is important to use the correct technologies in accordance to indications, contraindications and the amputee’s individual circumstances. This is why there is no one technique or foot used for everyone.
Regarding your current experiences with waterproof prosthesis, our understanding is that you are talking about a foot for swimming. Unfortunately there is no universal components and highly specialised components like swimming feet sacrifice walking ability for an adjustable ankle.
Regarding the Rush foot, it is different compared to the majority of advanced prosthetic feet in that it is constructed from fiberglass. This material choice provides more flexibility without breaking which may make the foot subjectively smoother. As far as we are aware there has not been any independent scientific research conducted directly comparing the Rush foot to other advanced carbon fiber feet that would give us an objective (numerical) value to compare shock absorption and energy transfer during gait.
Our advice would be to speak to the manufacturer of the product for further information regarding its relative functional properties.
Hopefully this answers your question.
All the best
ArtLimb Team
Hi Admin
This is a really good site I am an above knee amputee for 40 years I thought the articles explain technical stuff in easy to
understand articles
I feel it is really important for the amputee to have a really good understanding of the prosthesis and what is happening to be
able to explain what works good or not
I would like to see articles on covers for knees and suggestions and ideas on how to prevent my knee eating my Jeans
Thank you
Will Sturkenboom
Hi Will,
Thanks for your feedback, we’re glad you find our site useful.
At present we are working on an article about the different types of prosthetic knee joint to help those with an above knee amputation better understand the components they walk on.
Your question about knee covers is one many amputees have and is actually quite difficult to answer. As everyone is slightly different and there are many different knee units available, prosthetists usually design very individual covers and usually test several solutions in order to find the best one for each situation.
If your prosthetist and you haven’t found a solution to save your jeans, we would advise you join a Facebook group we have just created that aims at sharing and discussing information about individual problems that are minor and not related to safe prosthesis usage.
To get the group, please follow the link http://www.facebook.com/groups/amputeeshelp
If you aren’t on Facebook, you can always explain a bit more here about your prosthesis and where it damages your jeans. Photos work well and hopefully will enable us to help you further.
Hope this helps you.
All the best,
The ArtLimb Team
hI admin
David here from the northern territory,just had a new socket made ( my first one) I am not impressed, The peple who did this was in Sydney and from the very first time I donned it was too big. Cut a long story short they said they would send up some padding and I could tape it inside the socket. Having read your articles on the importants of pressure points and damage to stump I think I will get some one who would like to assist myself in obtaining a better result for me. Question does a below the knee amputation with a very short stump 4 Inches should I progress to above knee and use OSSEOINTEGRATION as a better result. I am 62 Yrs old was very active now slowing down and irated.
David
Hi David,
Thanks for your attention to our resource.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with this information because our non-profit resource contains only general information about prosthetics.
Your case requires an individual assessment and physical examination.
We would advise you to contact your prosthetic provider to discuss your individual prosthetic needs.
I went through the alignment articles..
Really nice..
Would like to read some article on casting and rectification techniques of different amputation level..