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Students Gain Hands On Experience

Students Gain Hands On Experience

The Physical Therapy Assistant program at the University of Cincinnati, Clermont gained valuable, hands on experience today at Premiere Physical Therapy and Abilities in Motion.

Carolyn Shisler, who leads the program at UC, Clermont said that this experience gives future physical therapist assistants the opportunity to hear stories and ask questions to recent and veteran amputees. “They are real people and students are able to hear their story and empathize with their life situation. Our students get to see the person and not the diagnosis,” said Shisler.

Caitlin Rausch participates with PT Training

Caitlin Rausch is a student at UC, Claremont and she echoed those feelings. “It’s so different than being in the classroom. There, you don’t get to see patients and hear their backgrounds”.

Students heard an hour long presentation from experts and then broke into smaller groups to see demonstrations and interact with patients. The patients participating in the program had below knee, above knee and bilateral leg amputations. Each had different experiences that informed students and each saw this as an opportunity to invest in the future.

Andy Beardslee is the PT director at Premiere Physical Therapy and he understands the value of these types of experiences. “Many times, new students are apprehensive when meeting with amputees. They may have a fear of saying the wrong thing and this experience gives them a change to get comfortable with real people.”

Jay Estoquia is a resident at Abilities In Motion

Students would be hard pressed to find a better environment for this type of learning as Premier Physical Therapy is the regions leader in working with amputee patients. Their partnership with Abilities In Motion allows a patient to meet with their prosthetist and physical therapist all in same visit.

Shisler summed up the experience this way, “PTAs work in many different areas of physical therapy, Amputees are one facet of the field. It’s important that they are able to work with people and help them reach their full potential.”

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Look Who’s Moving!

Rodney Jones first came to Abilities In Motion in the summer of 2013. A truck driver for several years, Rodney was injured while on the job. After several failed attempts to reset his leg for healing, the decision was made to amputate Rodney’s left leg.

Rodney worked incredibly hard over the past 1.5 years to get to this place in his life. When Rodney started coming to AIM, Rodney also started working with Premier Physical Therapy (AIM’s inhouse PT). By coming in multiple times each week, Rodney has progressed from using a wheelchair, to parallel bars, to a walker, to a cane and finally has reached unassisted walking. The AIM and Premier teams are extremely proud of Rodney’s progress.

Rodney’s work-related injury forced him to live a very sedentary lifestyle before his amputation.

Though it took a good attitude and a lot of effort, Rodney is now 196 pounds lighter and living the life that he wants to live.

Recently, Rodney started driving by himself again. He has loved being able to regain the independence that he has lacked for so long. Along with AIM’s prosthetic care services and Premier’s physical therapy services, Rodney’s positive attitude has helped him come this far. To him, the amputation was just a “little speed bump” and he finds it important to have fun even in the midst of challenging times. Whether he is driving himself to the hardware store or riding his bike around the neighborhood, it is evident that Rodney is moving forward.

Rodney’s Hardware

As a part of the rehabilitation process, Rodney initially used a prosthesis with a locking knee for 12 months. He then transitioned into using the technologically advanced Orion2 knee from Endolite.

This microprocessor controlled knee unit uses Motion Integrated Intelligence (Mi2), which allows Rodney to feel more secure ashe stands, rides his bike, and walks. This knee can lock at various angles and features progressive speed control. Also,the sensors within the knee allow for Rodney to walk up ramps and hills with more security.

These components have allowed Rodney to progress from initially using a walker to now walking unassisted at variable walking speeds and negotiating ramps and stairs.

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Get Moving!

Bob Haggard serves as an active reserve in the US Army. As a typi- cal 23 year old, he enjoys many high energy, outdoor activities such as cycling and running.

In January of 2012, Bob was involved in an automobile acci- dent. Due to his accident Bob had his right knee fused in slight flexion.

This caused difficulty sitting in tight spaces, such as bleachers at sporting events. He has had multiple surgeries to his elbows, as well as amputa- tions of fingers and thumb of his right hand. Bob continued to have pain in his left knee and limited range of motion in his left ankle.

In April of 2013, Bob decided to undergo an above knee amputation on his right leg. This was a big decision, but one that he felt was right for him. On June 6, 2013 we fitted Bob with his above the knee prosthesis.

Bob’s rehab has gone very well. He quickly learned to walk without assistance. With his youth, strength and agility working in his favor, he even taught himself to run.

Bob’s next goal is to be able to cycle. As seen in the photo, he has converted his bike into a stationary unit. This allows him to learn how to

balance and pe- dal safely before hitting the trails.

His prosthetic knee has the option of turning off the stance resistance and functioning in a free swinging mode.

We can certainly say as far as Bob is concerned, he is definitely moving forward!

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How Far Would You Walk For A Friend?

Walk of Hope

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When Larry Robinson found out that his friend and pharmacist, Amy Glaser, had multiple sclerosis, he knew what he had to do.

“I thought that if Amy can’t walk, I’ll walk for her,” he said.

Robinson was one of the 30 members of Amy’s Army taking part in the 5-mile Western-Southern MS Walk at Thomas More College.
The difference between Robinson, 52, and other members of Amy’s Army is that walking poses a challenge for him. In June of last year, he had to have his left leg amputated below the knee.

“I was club-footed when I was born and then, when I was 13, I was playing sandlot football and I shattered my leg. It made a sound like a .22 rifle going off,” he said.

The series of surgeries and constant pain that followed became so difficult to manage that Robinson, a father of three, realized he had to have his lower leg removed. Now he says he walks better than he ever has.

“It’s taken some adjusting. Balance is the hardest thing, but I’ve adapted. I needed to do it for my family and now I’m realizing there’s a life out there. There really is.”

Shortly after his surgery, Robinson met Ken Glaser, Amy’s husband, at St. Mary’s Church in Alexandria.

“Ken told me what Amy was going through. I’d known her for nine years – she was my pharmacist – but I didn’t know she was struggling with MS,” Robinson said.

MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system.

Amy Glaser was diagnosed in 1996.

Robinson said some higher power had a hand in shaping his friendship with Amy.

“I think God wanted us to cross paths like this,” he said.
Amy Glaser did not take part in the walk. She was on the sidelines cheering. for Ken, their three children, and Larry, who took strides for her and others whose lives have been irrevocably changed by MS.

What Does Larry Use?

Larry has a silicone locking liner. This is rolled on his residual limb and has a locking pin in the bottom of it. The pin locks into a locking mechanism in the bottom of the socket portion of the prosthesis, eliminating the need for straps or belts.

The foot on Larry’s prosthesis is a Variflex foot, made by Ossur. It is a carbon fiber spring like foot. The carbon fiber composition allows the foot to be light weight and flexible.

It has energy storing characteristics which stores the energy put into the composite material during heel strike and mid stance and returns that energy at toe off. This allows for a great amount of flexibility and a spring like feeling which helps the wearer do more while using less energy.

Useful Internet Sites

www.oandp.com

www.amputee-coalition.org

www.ossur.com

www.endolite.com

www.ottbockus.com

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A Patient Survey

Below is our panel of patients, we asked a set of questions concerning their expectations and experiences of surgery, being fit with a prosthesis and learning to walk.

 

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Larry Robinson, 51 is a below knee amputee who had surgery in July of thisyear. Larry had elective surgery with the intent of having less pain and increased activity. He had a target of four weeks to be up and walking, and now believes he will be more active than he first thought. He was walking unassisted in just two weeks!

Larry experiences less phantom pain as time goes by and now has some discomfort but no pain. He quickly adapted to his prosthesis and has mastered sock fit with ease. He cites comfort as his favorite part of his prosthesis and would like to get more flexibility from his ankle to aid with his outdoor lifestyle of fishing and hunting. Larry also mentioned that he would like to have a prosthesis that lets his leg stay cooler.

Support/FAQWalter Lickliter, 57 had a right below knee amputation in July of 2004. Walter also has a left partial foot amputation. His main goal before surgery was to improve his balance and begin the process of learning to walk again. Within two weeks of being fit with his prosthesis, Walter said “I am encouraged by my progress from wheel chair to walker. I have not had any pain since just after the surgery”. He learned quickly through experimentation how to use socks to obtain a correct fit and does not feel his prosthesis limits him. “I like the comfort of my prosthesis and just being able to walk again”.

Support/FAQ
Tony Freeman, 50 is an above knee amputee who was fit with his first prosthesis in 1999. He said that after surgery the pain was “excruciating, but now I just have phantom pain that is annoying”. He expected to walk with a cane but after his initial fitting he thought he would have to work harder to be able to walk. Later during rehab, his target was to “just walk as normally as possible”. On the subject of learning the correct fit, “I just let my pain tell me what to do”.

“The thing I like most is my mobility, just being able to walk, although I would like to be able to go up stairs step over step”. Since rehab, Tony now cycles regularly and is able to run. Tony also said he would like a more flexible ankle, some rotation and a lighter prosthesis.

Support/FAQSarah Ammons underwent surgery for a below knee amputation in 2002. Sarah said “I expected to have less pain, as I have a great deal of phantom pain”. She did not expect to be walking unassisted immediately, “I expected a long rehab”. Although undergoing a second surgery earlier this year, she is walking without assistance.

“I am still learning to get the correct fit with socks” says Sarah. I would like to be able to walk longer distances without pain and to be able to go into the ocean. Also as a keen gardener, I would like more flexibility on uneven ground”. She also wanted it to be cooler and lighter.

Support/FAQSam Crosby has a left below knee and a right partial foot amputation. For Sam, a former college quarterback, rehab went very smoothly. “I just expected to be able to walk and I pretty much did. I knew I would be able to walk without crutches”. Sam reported that he never really had any pain and that learning sock fit was easy.

Sam is active, he plays golf and bowls. “I can pretty much do anything I want to”. “My favorite part of my prosthesis is the air pump that acts like a shock absorber”. Some of the improvements Sam wanted to see were a leg for swimming and a machine washable suspension sleeve.

Support/FAQDavid Fischer became an above knee amputee just a few months ago in May. David says he wasn’t really sure what his expectations were prior to surgery as it happened so quickly. He said of his expectations upon receiving his prosthesis “I didn’t expect I would just get up and walk. I had a pretty good idea about the rehab process”. After initial fitting and physical therapy, David says he was more confident of being able to return to normal mobility. He has suffered from some phantom pain “but I’m managing well”.

He quickly learned correct sock fit and gave some thought to the question of things he would like to be able to do. “I would like to be able to stand in the shower”. Like many of our panel, being able to walk is one of his favorite things about his prosthesis. As for improvements he would like to see, he agreed with several members of the panel in wanting to be able to get the leg wet and to have a lighter prosthetic foot.

A note from Tom:
Thanks to our esteemed panel for their time and thoughtful responses. Hopefully our panel’s shared experiences are relatable to most of you.

These comments will only help us to provide better service. We will also relay this information to our component manufacturers to address the needs of the people we serve.

Some of our panel had some questions for us, so we decided to do a little research.

Here are some statistics you may find interesting.

  • Approximately 2 million people are living with the absence of a limb in the U.S.
  • Approximately 40% of amputees are female compared to 60% male.
  • There are 150,000 amputations every year in the U.S. of which 82,000 people are diabetic.
  • 1 out of every 185 people diagnosed with diabetes undergo amputation of a limb.
  • The Midwest is the second highest region in the country for amputation. The South is the highest, followed by the Midwest, then the West with the Northeast being the lowest.
  • There are almost 10 times more below knee amputees than above knee.