The Upper Limb Issue - September 2018
Feature
Upper-limb Prosthetics: Pattern Recognition Shows Practical Promise
By Miki Fairley
Pattern recognition technology has shown promise in providing easier, more intuitive control of myoelectric prosthetic devices over the past two decades in research settings, though the concept and some research goes back to the 1960s and 1970s. H...
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Climbing to Westworld: Realism in Prosthetic Design
By John T. Brinkmann, MA, CPO/L, FAAOP(D)
HBO's science fiction series Westworld is based in an amusement park populated with robotic creatures whose advanced construction and programming make them indistinguishable from humans. The realistic look, feel, and movement of these robotic pa...
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Updates on Prosthetic Rehabilitation Following Partial Hand Amputation
By Phil Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP
Partial hand amputation is extremely common. According to the oft-cited Ziegler-Graham study on limb loss prevalence in the United States, amputations of the fingers and hand account for 92 percent of all upper-limb amputations, or approximately ha...
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The Value of a Washington DC Education
By Nicole Ver Kuilen
The following is a firsthand account of lessons learned from the ten-week fellowship I experienced this summer as the Inaugural Fellow of the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP). One year ago this month, I...
More...Today's Consumer
Tiffany Johnson: TMR Was the Right Choice After Shark Attack
By Betta Ferrendelli
Tiffany Johnson experienced an event few others have, and she has lived to share her story. Johnson, 33, was attacked by a shark while snorkeling in the Bahamas on June 2, 2017. She was treading water exploring a reef when something pulled on her...
More...Industry Leader
Remembering an Industry Leader: Stephen C. Jacobsen, PhD
By Harold Sears, PhD
One of the most memorable characters in the recent history of U.S. prosthetics was Stephen C. Jacobsen, PhD, the primary inventor of the Utah Arm and the founder of Motion Control, now a Fillauer Company, who passed away in 2016.
More...Perspective
OPERF Turns Ten
By Stefania Fatone, PhD, and Brian Hafner, PhD
This year marks the10th anniversary of the Orthotic and Prosthetic Education and Research Foundation (OPERF), a nonprofit organization established to raise the standards of research in O&P. Founded with an initial donation from the American Acade...
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Billing Company Secrets (Ssshhhh!)
By Erin Cammarata
In our years in business handling over 100,000 O&P claims per year in 22 states, CBS Medical Billing and Consulting has acquired some important resources and strategies that help us successfully navigate the insurance and reimbursement maze. I...
More...Letter to the Editor
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor, I'm writing in response to The O&P EDGE's  August articles on 3D printing. The issue of 3D printing isn't so much that digital innovation will make prosthetists and orthotists more productive and creative; it's that it will make them...
More...Viewpoint
Advancing Care for Upper-limb Loss
By Andrea Spridgen
Providing upper-limb prosthetic care is often viewed as particularly difficult because of the complexity of trying to replicate the function of the human hand. Additionally, upper-limb prosthetic rehabilitation has been fraught with high rejection...
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Tillges Technologies is your go-to central fabrication facility for custom orthotic and prosthetic devices. Our highly skilled technicians and practitioners fabricate our custom-made devices on-site. We pride ourselves on LEAN initiatives to reduce lead times and continuously improve our quality standards on the products and services we provide. Call us today to place a custom fabrication order or to learn more about our Propulsion pre-preg bracing and the PressureGuardian system.
Our accommodative foot orthotics are specially designed for patients with foot deformities. We offer a variety of materials for foot conditions such as neuropathy, 
Today's prostheses from iFIT—
For users who revel in extreme activities, Freedom Innovations' Maverick fiberglass feet will exceed their highest demands in all terrains to take them wherever they want to go for whatever they want to do. Made with a lightweight fiberglass composite in an innovative heel/keel design, Maverick feet offer durability and flexibility without compromising on product weight or energy storage and return.
Aspen's newest addition to the popular one-size adjustable Horizon™ line, this innovative brace offers a low-profile design with the benefit of added motion restriction in all three planes of motion. With coverage from the symphysis pubis to the xiphoid process coupled with overlapping panels, this brace provides multiple layers of support. The Horizon 639 LSO also offers targeted compression where needed, the ability to step down to support patient recovery, and a comfortable fit covering waist sizes 24-50 in. and up to 70 in. with extension panels. It is approved for codes L-0639 and L-0651.
inally, a deep-cleaning coating that is effective against odor and decontaminates for the 1.8 million U.S. lower-leg amputees. Apocrine™ is a patented and proprietary solution that is remarkably effective for decontaminating, deodorizing, and cleaning liners commonly used with prostheses. Apocrine is delivered with a unique sponge-tip applicator that is designed to ensure rapid and complete coverage of the liner. The combination of the deep-cleaning action/effect of silver and the physical scrubbing that occurs with the sponge tip promotes a clean, debris-free, and odor-free liner. Order directly or through Cascade.
This dynamic corrective system joint ensures fast, efficient, and effective treatment of contractures resulting from neurological conditions.
Fillauer's NEXO™ line provides simple, innovative alternatives for patients with transradial and transhumeral limb loss. NEXO's PEEK rods are lightweight and strong. Because of their flexibility, they reduce rotational and perpendicular vibration and provide force damping to the residual limb. The rods may be trimmed to length and bent for alignment changes. NEXO provides two wrist options: the USMC-style quick disconnect wrist, previously only available for use in an exoskeletal system, and a lightweight friction wrist. All NEXO systems are easy to build and up to 50% lighter than existing prostheses.
JAWS is a high-performance, voluntary-opening prosthetic terminal device operated with or without a cable. JAWS' gripping force is easily user adjustable utilizing proven vector technology. JAWS has a prehensile configuration—not a hook—for better control of ATVs, motorcycles, snowmobiles, personal watercraft, and lawn mowers, as well as work-related tools, and domestic, garden, and yard tool handles. It snaps on and off objects with variable gripping forces exceeding 50 pounds. Additionally, JAWS features an integral, friction-adjustable, radial-ulnar pivot.
The Vista Ankle HY is a hydraulic ankle joint designed for elevated vacuum applications. The vacuum is generated from the cyclic ankle movements during gait. The hydraulic damping (dorsiflexion and plantarflexion) can be infinitely tuned to achieve the perfect balance between stability and mobility for walking on slopes or varied terrain. The distal female pyramid adapter is compatible with a wide range of prosthetic feet.
he Adult Triple Action® ankle joint has been updated to expand single upright AFO applications when used in composite orthoses. Like the original version, the new Adult Triple Action 2.0 is designed to provide highly adjustable active ankle control of the lower limb during all phases of the gait cycle. The component excels in the orthotic treatment of complex disorders like stroke, traumatic brain injury, and other pathologic neuromusculoskeletal conditions. For additional information on the Triple Action and other Becker products, please contact our customer service department or visit our website.
Our newly released template-based ProvelCAD software is an easy, affordable, and efficient way to optimize your design. Download a free trial version from our website to see if ProvelCAD is right for you.
Extremiti3D, a leading manufacturer of definitive sockets and protective covers, introduces a new line of 3D-printed flexible inner sockets. Engineered to fit both 3D-printed and existing laminated carbon sockets (transtibial and transfemoral), our customized, repeatable additive manufacturing process makes true uniform thickness a reality. In addition, they can be designed with variable thickness to accommodate patient anatomy changes, such as limb atrophy. Extremiti3D's design/print process opens up new possibilities for improved comfort. Add voids or pads, stiffness or flexibility, wherever you need it. Visit Friddle's booth #938 at AOPA in Vancouver.
ALPS Flex Sleeve (SFX) has a seamless knitted construction with a 30° preflexion, which allows for ease of bending and reduces bunching behind the knee. It features our HD Gel, which has a relatively firm nature and provides maximum comfort. Call us or visit
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