The San Antonio Amputee Foundation, led by Mona Patel, hosted and cosponsored an Orthotic & Prosthetic Activities Foundation (OPAF)First
Stride Training and Clinic on July 16 in San Antonio. Cosponsors
included Hanger Clinic, HealthSouth Rehabilitation Institute of San
Antonio, and Select Rehabilitation Hospital of San Antonio. The
instructor was Sheila Qualls Clemens, DPT.
First Stride participants listen to the opening instructions before the hands-on session.
Photograph courtesy of OPAF.
Over
35 therapists joined the morning classroom session for instruction
about prosthesis care and an introduction to gait training for people
with lower-limb amputations. Therapists were also given exercises to
help patients increase their core strength and improve their gait. More
than 50 people with lower-limb amputations and their family members
participated in the afternoon hands-on session to improve gait and
stability, and they were given exercises to continue at home or in
rehabilitation to improve their gait.