Congenital amputation

Oscar Pistorius is a name most athletic households know. He was the double amputee runner in the London 2012 Olympics. Pistorius had double blades on his legs thanks to biomechanics. However, many spectators viewed his blade legs as cheating, and an unfair advantage against the able body competitors, because they were engineered to help him be fast. Biomechanics does not only replace body parts for amputees but also uses one’s own body to reach its own potential. Furthermore, a responsible…

difficult. Amputations are the removal of a limb and are used in many different scenarios. An amputation can occur if there is poor blood circulation, severe injuries, cancerous tumors, infections, and many other reasons (“Statistics on Arm Loss”). Amputations are used in the military to this day. Each individual is different in his or her own unique way. Some individuals show that they want to take on the responsibility and others think they can be waited on hand and foot. If an amputation has…

the effect of visceral stimulation has on the intensity of phantom limb pain. Researchers were trying to investigate and answer the commonness of the change of phantom limb sensation and pain with visceral stimulation in military personnel with amputation and pain intensity. One of the questions that they were trying to answer was why do some people have get phantom limb pain when their lower limbs get amputated? They were looking at different variables to see what weakened or intensified the…

There are about 2.1 million people with an amputated limb in the United States of America. About 185,000 people have an amputation each year and about 300 to 500 a day. Many people with amputated limbs have phantom pains. There are many questions about phantom pains such as what they are, who discovered them, what causes them, and how are they treated. Phantom pains are pains that come from body parts that have been amputated. Not everyone with an amputated limb will have phantom pains, but…

will experience PLP in some form throughout their life (Reference A). There are several proposed sources of PLP, however the cause is still unknown to scientists today. For most amputees, the pain is temporary and most often felt post surgery or amputation.…

I am writing on the behalf of my patient, to document the medical necessity of a transfemoral prosthetic. Patient is a 17 year old male who underwent a transfemoral amputation six weeks ago secondary to osteosarcoma. Patient was independent in all activities and enjoyed playing basketball on the weekends prior to amputation. After high school, the patient intends to join the military. The patient’s goals are to resume prior level of function and participate in above mentioned activities. The…

Having been born in the nineties and growing up throughout the two thousands I took a lot of technology for granted, assuming that they have already been around for a while and that it was common for everyone to have these technologies, for example the internet, computers, and video games, but it wasn’t until I was older that I realized how fast technology was advancing, and how much new technology I took for granted as a kid. We see great ideas and new advancements in technology pop up…

osteoarthritis and low back pain are commonly seen among transfemoral amputees (TFAs), and are considered as secondary disabilities among amputees. The amputation surgery changes the biomechanics of transfemoral amputees abruptly. It is not unusual that the gait deviation in TFAs is commonly observed and the primary cause is muscle weakness. The amputation leads to the loss of muscle distal insertion sites and the change of muscle’s moment arm, thus the force can be generated by hip muscles is…

Prosthetic limbs have been giving people second chances at life for the last 150 years. In those 150 years prosthetic limbs have come a long way, but there is still many problems. Out of the many problems in the prosthetic limb industry, there is three main problems. The main problems include making the product available for the mass market, price of each limb, and the last problem for prosthetic limbs is advancing the technology. Although prosthetic limbs are essential for some of the people in…

It is the devastating reality that nearly two million people are currently living with limb loss in the United States. I am writing this proposal to the Amputee Coalition, because I believe that it is time to research cheaper prosthetics for these two million people. Your average prosthesis can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $50,000, and it isn’t fair to those already possessing a disability. I write this because I plan to work in rehabilitative engineering, and want to build prosthetics that…