In our profession, we are confronted with so many challenges – challenges that keep us on our toes for our entire careers! We have the opportunity to work with people but people differ, of course. We work with different levels of amputation and varying shapes and types of residual limbs – long, short, thin, old, young, strong, weak – and we work according to different budgets.
An eventful start to 2018
In these first two months of 2018, I was confronted with all of the above, and this is the reason I felt the need to share my experiences even if it just evokes in our followers the realisation of the challenges faced by prosthetic professionals.
Now, as much as I enjoy the opportunity to work with high-end prosthetics, I have come to find that the lower-end prosthetics make a massive impact on many people’s lives. For example, I have helped a few people this year, like Petrus Thsabalala, who have had to wait years before getting a prosthetic leg.
Petrus Thsabalala
Petrus lost his leg in 2013 and with the help and support of his caring family, and five years of saving money, he was finally able to get the help he needed.
Working with an amputee like Petrus has been an indescribably amazing experience. Individuals who are desperate are often some of the best patients to work with. These are people who have had to wait not weeks, not months, but years before receiving a prosthetic limb – and the wait is often accompanied by various other sacrifices!
Fortunately we have a Modular Socket System that makes it possible to manufacture a prosthesis or prosthetic socket within two hours. With entry level componentry, we are able to help those suffering from an amputation like Petrus’.
The Revo System from Click Medical
I have started to incorporate the Revo System from Click Medical into some of my socket designs. Given all of the techniques that are available, there is not one that is universally suitable. This particular system just makes it possible for you as an amputee to easily adjust your own socket volume and tightness.
We also incorporate a Boa dial system into the socket, which tightens one, two or three pads of the rigid socket. So when a patient sits down for extended periods of time, some tightness can be relieved. And at the end of a long day, patients can increase the tightness in response to inevitable volume loss. Because in life we adjust many things from shoe laces, belts and watches, to car seats and more. But now it’s possible to adjust your socket too – for more comfort and control over your own prosthetic limb.
But that’s just the beginning! I have so much more to share with you so stay posted for my forthcoming memoirs.
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2019-06-10 07:38:27