Dear list,
Here is an letter came through my inbox that may be of interest to some
of you…. send comments to: george boyer at [email protected]
Paul Prusakowski
george boyer wrote:
Two issues.
One. Cathy, another reason for having limbs made, perhaps the most
important
one, is for mere STANDING, and perhaps carefully moving a step or two
one way
or another. Not all of erect human activity is movement, transport of the
body over distance. Consider how much highly rewarding time is spent
essentially in one spot – doing dishes and other ‘chores’ and a thousand
other
characteristically human things which people do while erect. I think this
transcends the notion of ‘transferring’, no? All those energy studies
seem to
assume energetic propulsion from here to Cincinnati, which attracts few
bilateral AKs, I speculate. But being boldly erect enables numberless
activities which require little energy beyond that of blowing one’s nose, a
fact seems to have escaped the attention of the measurers.
Two. This is a wild leap (in subject but not in pertinence) from your post,
but what ever becomes of those studious ones who pass all the tests,
are duly
certified (wow!) and paper the walls of their office but who make a
comfortable prosthesis only by the sheerest of chance??? Do they
disappear
into administrative chairs involving no patient contact or other similar
activities?? Some perhaps. But many, brandishing the almost irresistible
cudgel of their certification, nail up their shingle or are gainfully employed
by a prosthetic firm, but what they do there, I speculate, is deal with
those
amputees whose complaints can be discounted. And that is a sizable
group.
The only amputees who are not (potentially) disenfranchised are those
who, it
is perceived, can OBJECT, who are able to speak forcefully on their own
behalf. Even though, I am sure, he would like to solve this problem I don’t
think even John Sabolich, with the wide dissemination of his method,
would
claim success – the ONLY way to assure that talented prosthetists are
the rule
rather than the exception is by adoption of the guild-system – master
craftsman, journeyman and apprentice.
Cheers, George B.
Catherine Shin wrote:
SNIP
tried it experimentally) is only something like 120% of regular walking –
> close to energy expenditure for one BK. That doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t
> be able to get legs for transferring, cosmetic purposes, etc. _if_ that
> is something you want. But it’s a classic “gotcha” on prosthetic
> certification exams and physical medicine and rehab boards to ask
about
> putting a heart patient into, say a suction AK socket. The common
wisdom
> is that just pulling into the socket (using a stocking or ace bandage or
> whatever) can precipitate an MI (heart attack).
SNIP
> Cathy
