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AMPUTATION ONLINE MAGAZINE
http://amputee-online.com/amputation
VOLUME FOUR ISSUE NUMBER II March 1999
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This text version is sponsored by:
The All new PandO.net
http://www.pando.net
Seattle Limb Systems
http://m-ind.com
Advanced Prosthetics of San Diego
http://members.aol.com/AdvProsth/
Kowsky Crutches
http://amputee-online.com/amputee_mall
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Welcome to the March 1999 issue of Amputation Online Magazine.
Wheew! What a busy two months, it does not seem like two months have gone
by since the January issue – so much has happened!
Since the last issue the first hand transplant in North America took place,
the second only in the world. This month we feature an exclusive on this
issue and ask a few amputees what would they do? Do you agree with them?
Having seen record snowfalls around the world, it comes as no surprise we
feature a report from Bruce Jaster on a recent skiing trip to Winter Park
in Colorado. Bruce had a lot of fun despite coming down with the flu.
We also feature part two of the review of six prosthetic feet and a look at
Flex Foot’s new advertisement directed specifically at above knee amps.
We will feature Part III of “Creating Your Amputee WEB Site” in the May
issue, simply not enough time and space this time around.
By the time the next issue rolls around, life will look a lot brighter with
Spring well and truly underway. The winter in Vancouver has been a wet one
with 24 out of 28 days in February dedicated to the production or rain. The
daffodils have already started to sprout so sunshine and hot days are not
too far away.
Bring on the Spring time!
See ya
Ian Gregson
Editor and Publisher
LIMB TRANSPLANT – IS IT FOR YOU?
Over the last six months the medical community has presented the amputee
population with an interesting conundrum.
The first of which was made public back in September and the second more
recently here in North America. Limb transplants are no longer the stuff of
science fiction – they are here now!
When the international medical team announced the successful limb
transplant of New Zealander Clint Hallam back in September 1998, the whole
world was astounded at the possibilities. Likewise the amputee population
was also taken aback by this revolutionary medical procedure. Ironically,
for five years, doctors had tried to fully reattach Hallam’s hand after the
1984 accident. In 1989, Hallam gave up and had doctors amputate at the
upper forearm.
Millions of amputees around the world began to realise the possibilities
and ask the question “would I do it?”
In January 1999 North America’s first limb transplant took place in
Louisville, Kentucky. The amputee, Matthew David Scott of Absecon, New
Jersey, lost his hand in a 1985 firecracker accident. To date Matthew
appears to be doing well. However, the surgeons suggest it may be anywere
between 3-8 months before the surgery can be called a success.
Many amputees already know – what is presented to us in mainstream media is
often very different than reality. How does the arm feel? Is their any
phantom pain? What kind of sensation does it have? How functional is it?
Both transplant camps have been very quiet in recent weeks – although we do
know Clint Hallam returned home to Perth, Australia before Christmas.
It is interesting how the media have left the original transplant recipient
out of the picture. Even if his surgery failed would we ever hear about it?
The generalisations of mainstream media tend not to answer the questions
asked by the average amputee.
When posed with the question “would you do it?” Some of the members of the
SJU Amputee mailing list answered thus….
“I would have to say no! Wouldn’t even try it, but mostly due to real and
very practical reasons. With having had diabetes all my life the chances
of a surgery like this working are really slim and none.”
“I am very open to trying new things but, I will not play guinea pig. I
would need to know that this operation has been performed many times and
proof that they have been found successful after years of study.”
“I lost my leg in a trauma accident, and would feel fine with a chance with
a new leg. I have adjusted to my prosthetic but turning back the clock and
being able to hop out of bed, take long walks and not worry about my leg
would be a dream.”
“I have been a BKA amp(trauma) for 18 of my 37 years. I am very active and
live relatively painfree. At this point in my life I don’t think I would
want to go thru the months of rehab it would take to get back on my feet
again”
We are all familiar with the psychological aspects of limb loss. But what
about the psychological aspects of limb reattachment. This is a whole new
area that simply never existed before. How would a person with thirteen or
twenty years of limb loss deal with having a limb reattached? I don’t think
we can take it for granted that a person can make the transition
psychologically without monitoring and help.
The possibility of some of us leaving this world not as amputees, but as
fully limbed as we arrived, is now a distinct reality. Some of us seem more
eager to have our limbs replaced more than others and are willing to take
the risk of losing even more. As more successful surgeries take place over
the coming years, the more and more hopeful we will become.
For more on limb transplants check the following links:
http://www.handstransplant.com
SKIING IN COLORADO
Bruce Jaster
Although it’s been more than a week now, I guess busy times and maybe some
of the flu have kept folks from posting a review of The Ralph Fowler Group
at Winter Park, AKA the gimp skiers. Allow me the indulgence since it was
too good to let it go without a report. This is long. Be forewarned.
On the morning of Friday, February 5, a bunch of us flew into the new
Denver airport to be greeted by the Fowlers and the Rings. The main
concourse at Denver’s new airport is surrounded by a long “loft” which gave
the Ring/Fowler couples the perfect “Evita” opportunity for a balcony
scene, waving to us as we deplaned and stepped into the sunlight below.
After some baggage claiming, we all caravaned to breakfast at I-HOP (five
leg amputees plus spouses — is there a subliminal message somewhere
here???). And from the I-HOP we lined up the wagons on the trail up the
hill to Winter Park. After a little unpacking and some grocery shopping, we
were all settled into our nice condo home graciously arranged for us by
Ralph.
The next day — Saturday — we planned to arrive at the Winter Park ski
base, and the headquarters of NSCD (National Sports Center for the
Disabled) around 8:30 AM to meet our instructors and take to the new snow.
At 9:30 AM, when we actually got there, we arrived with about two and half
million other skiers, all looking for a place to park. We snagged a place
on the side of the road and began to walk and crutch the rest of the way.
Now Jim Thayer, 6-foot plus ex-cop that he is, is one tough dude. But after
about a half-mile on crutches, even he started to wear. And when we needed
it most, one of the many really wonderful Winter Park staff came to our
rescue. She left her guard post to another staffer, piled us into her Dodge
Caravan and delivered us to the NSCD doorstep. That was the first of many
wonderful Winter Park courtesies. Those folks are jewels.
Then more of those incredible staff people got us all outfitted
with all our ski stuff, making inventive and necessary adaptations along
the way (at no extra cost) like lifts in the ski boots, canting the skis so
we get good snow contact, building foam stuffers to fill in the blank
spaces between limb and boot, and on and on and on. Truly a group of people
that care to do things right.
After getting rigged, we met our individual instructors and took to the
slopes. Now my particular instructor on this first day was a dud. He
usually works with blind skiers and didn’t know much about amp skiing. But
in spite of that, my old ski feelings started coming back and by the end of
the day I was sliding down the mountain and having fun. And all day, we
made more and more adaptations — like a knee brace to give me more
positive control of the leg and a lot of tape to keep the socket from
turning where I didn’t want it to go. Ralph (the host) and Roy (the Ring)
and Jim (the cop) and George (the dancer) were all having outstanding days
as well. At the end of a very, very tired day we hopped (no pun intended) a
shuttle bus back to our own transportation. Our bus driver kid was a
showboat of the highest order, and he didn’t quite know how to deal with
five gimps that met him head-on joke for joke. We were the last ones off
the bus, and, needless to say, the passengers were well entertained along
the whole ride.
The next day, Sunday, we actually arrived at ski base at 8:00 AM and
snagged handicap parking right by the bridge to NSCD. Damn good thing,
’cause at the end of this day, there was no way we could have walked
another step. Everybody tore up the slopes, tore up their bodies and
probably even tore some clothes along the way. It was stupendous! Fresh
snow in the morning, bright sunshine by midday and more fun than can be
imagined. I had some really great runs two-tracking with two skis and
regular poles (no outriggers) in the morning. But then I got jammed when a
lift operator stopped the chair lift, pulling me back and putting my skis
at a 90-degree angle sideways to my body. That did not feel good, but it
gave me an excuse to try three-tracking that afternoon — one ski, gimp leg
dangling and an outrigger on each arm. I didn’t like it (as opposed to my
new instructor who is a three-track wizard and as opposed to everyone else
except George who do nothing but three track). I wanted to go back to two
skis and two poles, and decided to do that the next day even if my
90-degree jammed leg still hurt. But that was not to be.
Before I got back to the van, chills and fever set in and a bout with the
flu that has still not ended (10 days later) took over. I barely crawled
over the bridge to the van. And that was the end of my skiing for this
trip. But it didn’t matter. It had been so great and so much fun to that
point, I still didn’t feel cheated. And there was still a lot of excitement
to come.
First, Ralph poured on a little too much power over a patch of ice heading
up the hill to our condo. His wife’s new van sacrificed a headlight to a
parked Taurus. I don’t know what Ralph sacrificed to his wife, but I’m sure
he’s still missing it. However, it wouldn’t be a real trip with Ralph
unless there was a yellow pole or a white Taurus or something like that in
his way somewhere along the line!
And then Renee Roulo and her guest Virgil, along with Mary Novotny and Ed
Jeffries, arrived to join this motley bunch.
The next day, the crew went snowmobiling while I stayed home, did the
dishes, slept and watched TV. Then, that night, George the master dancer,
master chef and master of almost everything cooked up a great chicken and
pork concoction and we all had a huge dinner followed by a lot of great
conversation and a DVD screening of “Wrongfully Accused”, the spoof movie
featuring the pratfalls of our very own stunt dude, Ian Gregson (sorry, Ian
— as much as you hated that movie, we thought it was wonderfully punny and
actually enjoyed the slapstick send-ups of all the popular movies it
ridiculed).
On Tuesday, Ralph, George, Renee, Virgil, Mary and Ed headed back to the
shimmering snow. Jim decided that he’d had enough ski drama. My fever had
broken, but my voice had disappeared into a raspy canyon and I didn’t want
to push Mother Nature. At noon, Jim and I joined the ski dudes for lunch
and for our good-byes. Later that afternoon, Jim and I made the four-wheel
downhill run back to Denver and to the Ring’s house. Roy and Jim did
“lead-dog” in Roy’s wife’s car to guide me back to the new Denver airport,
where I discovered that all the American flights had been cancelled because
a bunch of pilots must have caught my “flu” bug. I finally got stuffed into
United jet and made it back to Dallas about 2:00 AM the next morning.
Now for all the bad things that happened, this trip could have been
chalked up as a loss. But it just wasn’t that at all. When you’re lucky
enough to be in the company of a really incredible group of people, when
you’re lucky enough to be pampered and coddled by the unbelievable staff at
Winter Park and the NCSD (nothing but love and kisses to Chris Puffpaff and
her magnificent staff and to John Anderson, three-tracking ski instructor
supreme), when your’re lucky enough that everybody you meet is having a
wonderful time and showing it, there’s just almost nothing that can ruin
the good times.
And even though he can’t drive worth a damn, Ralph Fowler is the most
incredible of them all. He’s the one who took his own time to put this
group together. He made the arrangements with the condo, with Winter Park
and with the staff at NSCD. He was the skilled guide dog that kept us all
from falling off the curb, shepherding us from airport arrival to departure
for home.
There’s just no way to adequately say it, so I hope just a “THANK YOU” will
do. I’m really looking forward to the time when we can all do this again.
REVIEW OF SIX PROSTHETIC FEET PART II
This is Part II of the review of six prosthetic feet.
All feet were reviewed by an above knee amputee using Mauch SNS knee unit
with Black Max frame, in all cases the Seattle Limb Systems Airstance was
used as a shock-absorbing pylon.
Flex Walk by Flex Foot
(fixed ankle)
Brought on to the market almost decade ago, the Flex Walk today has
undergone some minor alterations but essentially remains the same foot.
The Flex Walk has no moving parts, no bumpers or durometers to replace. The
disadvantages of which become apparent on uneven terrain. Flex Foot ‘s
minor adaptation to a split-toe helped resolve this issue to some degree
and the removal of the front toe strap also added some flexibility.
The benefit of having no moving parts is in the foot’s endurance over time.
The Flex Walk tested was originally installed in 1990 and has been used on
regular basis ever since without any parts being replaced.
Whilst some might complain the Flex Walk may feel stiff in comparison to
other feet, the carbon fibre composite responds well in energy return.
MasterStep by Ossur
(multiaxial)
Ossur’s Masterstep is an attempt to include several features in to one
foot. The MasterSteps one leading feature is its ability to adjust the heel
height. This can be done by the user, with the two allen wrenches that are
supplied. This makes the foot perfect for people who wear different heel
heights.
Although the MasterStep does not look durable, no noises were emitteed and
no parts were broken durting the test period. The foot does come with a
replacement cable that can be installed by a prosthetist.
The MasterStep comes with an anotomically correct footshell, however using
the foot without the footshell is not recomended.
Voyager by Seattle Limb Systems(fixed ankle)
Seattle Limb Systems where on the leading edge of technology in the mid
1980’s when they introduced the Seattle foot. Even to this day the Seattle
foot remains the most anotmically correct foot on the market. The Seattle
foot and its more recent cousin the Seattle Lite foot is still used
throughout North America.
Seattle Limb Systems have attempted to recapture some of its former
reputation as a foot manufacturer with the Seattle Voyager. In its
advertising campaigns SLS cleverly targets the athlete when he or she is
not trying to set new world records.
The Voyager is an all-around foot, good for everyday use. It made no noise
during the time tested and needed no repairs. The Voyager’s low cost makes
it an affordable alternative.
See Part One of this Review at http://amputee-online.com/amputation/jan99.html
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
1999 Amputee Coalition of America Conference
Reno Hilton – Reno, Nevada
1 888 AMP-KNOW
June 25-27
April 8-10, 1999 ……TAOP (Texas Association of Orthotists and
Prosthetists) Spring Meeting, Ramada Bay Front, Corpus Christi, TX.
Contact: Dean Raymond, (210) 341-7127.
April 15-18, 1999 ….Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc. 1999 National
Conference, Westin Park Central Hotel, Dallas, TX. Contact: Aron E. (Gene)
Hair, C.P., (803) 516-0052.
April 17,1999 ……..One-day Boston Brace Seminar: A Patient Case Study,
West San Francisco Airport, San Francisco, CA. Contact: (800) 262-2235.
April 17,1999 ……..Practice Management One-Day Seminar, Dallas, TX.
Contact: AAOP (American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists) for
details, (703) 836-7118.
April 29-May 1,1999 ..1999 IAOP (International Association of Orthotics and
Prosthetics) Annlal Scientific and Educational Symposium, Hilton Palm Beach
Airport, West Palm Beach, FL. PCE/CEU applications. Contact: Dawn Clark,
IAOP National Office, (804) 639-1209.
April 30,1999 ….Ohio Orthotics and Prosthetics Association Spring
Meeting, Radisson Hotel Columbus North, Columbus, OH. Contact: Dianne
Farabi, (614) 457-4312.
May 1, 1999 ……Ohio Chapter, AAOP (American Academy of Orthotists and
Prosthetists) Spring Technical Meeting, Radisson Hotel Columbus North,
Columbus, OH. Contact: Richard W. Butchko, (614) 457-4312.
May 13-15, 1999 ..AAOP (American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists)
Pennsylvania Chapter l999 Spring Meeting, Hershey Lodge and Convention
Center, Hershey, PA. Contact: Joseph H. Carter, Jr., M.S., C.P.O., (814)
455-5383.
May 19-22,1999 …ACPOC (Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic
Clinics) Annual Meeting, St. Petersburg, FL. Contact: ACPOC, (847) 698-1637.
May21-22, 1999 …CEC 2-99, lowa City, IA.Contact: AAOP (American Academy
of Orthotists and Prosthetists) for details, (703) 836-7118.
May 24-28, 1999 ..Management of Foot Disorders: Theory and Clinical
Concepts, a didactic course. Northwestern University Prosthetic-Orthotic
Center, Chicago, IL. Contact: (312)908-8006.
May26-28, 1999 …NU-RIC Ischial Containment Trans-Femoral Prosthesis for
Prosthetists. Northwestern University Prosthetic-Orthotic Center, Chicago,
IL. Contact: (312)908-8006.
June 1-12,1999 …Management of Foot Disorders: Technical Theory and
Fabrication, laboratory course. Northwestern University Prosthetic-Orthotic
Center, Chicago, IL. Contact: (312) 908-8006.
June 2-4, 1999 ….Prosthetics and Orthotic. For Suppliers and
Manufcacturers. Northwestern University Prosthetic-Orthotic Center,
Chicago, IL. Contact: (312) 908-8006.
June 10-12,1999 ..Western and Midwestern Orthotic Prosthetic Association
(former AOPA Regions D & E) Combined Annlal Meeting. Clinical Workshops and
Golf Tournament on Thursday. Business and Clinical Symposiums and Supplier
Exhibits Friday and Saturday. Technician Education Program Saturday. The
Nugget Hotel, Sparks (Reno), NV. Contact: Gene Jones, (925) 937-4232, tdX
(925) 937-5514. For exhibit information, contact: Jeff Kingsley, (949)
645-4401.
June 21-26, 1999 ……The Florida Orthotic Fitters Training Workshop,
Tampa, FL. Contact: Charles Barocas, C.O., (727)394-1700.
June 24-27,1999 …….AOPA (American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association)
Region C Annual Meeting, Embassy Suites, Tampa, FL. Contact: Dan Ferguson,
(919) 929-4627.
July 14-17,1999……..Global Awareness/Global Connections, XIV
International Interbor World Congress, Boston, Massachusetts. Contact: O&P
National Office, (703) 836-7114.
September 10-11, 1999..TAOP (Texas Association of Orthotists and
Prosthetists) Bi-Annual Meeting, Holiday Inn South, Austin, TX. Contact:
Dean Raymond, (210) 341-7127.
September 25, 1999 ….Practice Management One-Day Seminar, Chicago, IL.
Contact: AAOP (American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists) for
details, (703) 836-7118.
September 25, 1999 ….Ohio Chapter, AAOP (American Academy of Orthotists
and Prosthetists) Annual Fall Scientific Meeting, Wyndham Dublin Hotel,
Columbus, OH. Contact: Richard W. Btltchko, (614) 457-4312.
October6-9, 1999 ……AOPA (American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association)
National Assembly, Reno Hilton, Reno, NV. Contact: Annette Slriani, (703)
836-7116.
October 15-16, 1999 ..Review Course in Prosthetics and Review Course in
Orthotics. These comprehensive didactic courses are designed for the
candidate preparing for the certification exams, cost $300. Sponsor:
Northwestern University, Chicago, IL. Contact: (312) 908-8006.
October22-23, 1999 …Exam Preparation Seminar, Newington, CT. Sponsored in
conjunction with the Newington Certificate Program. Contact: American
Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP) for details, (703) 836-7118.
November 4-6, 1999 …American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists
(AAOP) New Jersey Chapter Annual Conference, Holiday Inn Boardwalk,
Atlantic City, NJ. Contact: Joanne Kanas, (609) 748-7753.
November5-6, 1999…..CEC 3-99, San Jose, CA.
Contact: American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP) for
details, (703) 836-7118.
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Next Edition available May 1st, 1999
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