Outsource Marketing Solutions blog

Winter's Favorite Prosthetist Tours the Country

Kevin Carroll walked into an examination room at Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics on Thursday and closely evaluated Roy Cartwright's new prosthetic leg.

Using a computer cord, Carroll connected his laptop to a microprocessor within the prosthetic kneecap and studied the readings from sensors in the leg's ankle. This information, he said, details how the knee is communicating with its foot.

“He's done remarkably well with this knee,” Carroll said about Cartwright, a 69-year-old resident from Elizabeth City. “He's willing to embrace a new technology. Change can be good.”

Carroll, vice president of prosthetics for Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, who is widely known for developing the first prosthetic tail for dolphins, examined more than 20 local amputees and their prosthetic limbs during the day at no cost. Greenville is his final stop on a trip through North Carolina, which also included stops in Raleigh and Rocky Mount.

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Capstone Orthopedic

Sacramento, CA (MMD Newswire) February 26, 2009 -- Capstone Orthopedic, Inc. has successfully defended itself against an anti-competitive lawsuit brought by prosthetic and orthotic industry giant Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc. a division of Hanger Orthopedic Group (NYSE: HGR). That lawsuit was served by Hanger on Capstone and two individual defendants just days before Christmas in 2006. After more than two years of litigation, culminating in 5 days of testimony from more than fifteen witnesses, a U.S. Federal Court jury took less than two hours to determine unanimously that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of Capstone Orthopedic or any defendant.

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Mermaids and Robo-amputees

Mermaids
(This is showing up on the www again.  I blogged about it in 2007. Click here to read the old story.)

"Good: double amputee gets prosthetic legs so she can walk.

Better: double amputee gets realistic-looking mermaid tail so she can swim.

Awesome: it's developed and built by Weta, the special-effects company that did all the work for the "Lord of the Rings" movies, as well as "King Kong" and "The Chronicles of Narnia" series.

Nadya Vessey's legs were amputated below the knee when she was a child due to illness. At one point, reports Stuff, a child asked her what happened to her legs and she told him she was a mermaid. The idea stuck with her, so she wrote to Weta Workshop in Wellington, New Zealand, two years ago asking for a mermaid tail. To her surprise, they said they'd do it." ...READ MORE

Robo-amps

"This is exactly the perspective of Hans Alexander Huseklepp who believes that prostheses should go beyond mere functionality and become objects of fashion and identity. To this end he has designed the 'Immaculate' which explores new possibilities for assistive devices.

Immaculate is a neurological prosthetic that will be connected to a user’s central nervous system. The exterior of the prosthetic is textile clad in Corian plates which, in principle, will allow embedded technology to be seamlessly integrated. This material will also give the prosthetic a clear graphical identity. In addition, each joint is a globe joint, allowing a larger freedom of movement than a normal human arm."

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High-tech leg helps crash victim go on with life

ADA Update

The Las Vegas Sun's Stephanie Tavares reports on important changes in federal anti-discrimination law, of which employers must be aware. Congress passed amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which went into effect January 1.

The legislative and regulatory changes went into effect Jan. 1. They are expected to make it easier for employees to be classified as disabled.

The changes are expected to have a significant effect on human resources departments of businesses with more than 15 employees across the country.

Among those with restored rights are those with a disability that is episodic or in remission, such as seizures. Courts had ruled to exclude people with these types of disabilities.

It also restores protection to those with disabilities who take advantage of corrective measures such as prosthesis, medication, mobility devices, hearing aids, oxygen therapy, assistive technology or those whose bodies or brains have adjusted to compensate for the disability.

The act basically redefines how a person with a disability is defined. Although the specific criterion is still being worked out by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the legal community considers it likely the law will be applied similarly to state anti-discrimination laws in California, where disability is defined as something that makes it difficult to perform certain life activities.

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Adidas is making WHAT?

Also, the shoe company that endorses Webster (Adidas) did a series of force studies that examined how Webster walked and ran. The studies showed that the weight Webster bears on his left foot is different than that on the right.

As a result, Adidas is making orthodics - doubt it, since there's no such thing! - I think they mean ORTHOTICS  for Webster that will alleviate some of the weight off his fifth metatarsal.

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Orthotics for UGGS. Are you marketing them? Why not?

I've been saying it ever since my kids started wearing slippers to school!
And I still don't know why no one is marketing "UGG friendly" orthotics to that HUGE niche.

EVERYBODY'S wearing them.

Even me.

  

Source

"After a few hours they start feeling tired, their feet are tired they're aching and they don't know why. The reason it's aching is because there is zero support in the arch area," said Chairman.

Dr. Chairman says that lack of support flattens the arch and puts stress on the foot.

He says even women with healthy feet complain of pain if they wear their UGGs too long.   

The company says UGG Australia has been around for 30 years and has not received a complaint about arch support or comfort.

They say the back of the heel or heel counter offers substantial support and the sheepskin insoles are comfortable."

They also warn of numerous UGG knockoffs that don't offer the same features.

And don't think Dr. Chairman wants you to toss your UGG boots aside.

"Absolutely not! I think they're wonderful, you should wear them but wear orthotics in them," Chairman said.

Orthotics are shoe inserts that help align the foot.

He says put them in your UGG and problem solved.
   
"It’s as if someone is helping you lift your foot while you walk," Chairman says.

You can either buy expensive custom orthotics or ready-made cheaper ones you can find in any drugstore.

Back on patrol

It seemed Eric Schultz's dream of becoming a police officer was in doubt. After all, how many cops have one foot?

Not long after starting his job at the Wauconda Police Department, the 24-year-old Schultz, of Wauconda, was told he had cancer and faced a potentially career-ending, life-altering decision - his right foot would have to be amputated or it would become deformed and prohibit him from continuing police work.

Fast-forward one year to find Schultz had the amputation, his cancer is in remission and he is back on patrol with a prosthetic foot.

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My pet peeve strikes again.

Orthoist.  Not a real word.

It's Orthotist.

If you are searching for healthcare career choices - and you go to this site, just remember, the actual career is Orthotist - with a t.

US ISPO PacRim Meeting Gets a Facebook Page!