What are common things that can cause the volara to not bond to basic copoly under vacuum? Sometimes we go through streaks where it doesn’t want to fully melt and bond to plastic. Plastic is heated to 365ish then vacuum formed over foam. Foam isn’t heated in any way. Using normal feather stretch stocking
I'm looking to get some advice and possibly some ideas on what I could mention at my upcoming ortho appointment? Not even sure if this is within the realm of Orthotics/Prosthetics, but I'm feeling like I'm running out of ideas and things that could help.
I have chronic ankle, foot, calf, shin, and leg fatigue/pain that significantly affects my daily function and activity tolerance. My symptoms are worse with walking (mainly longer/faster walks), stairs, uneven terrain, prolonged standing, running, jumping, hiking, and sports/activity. My right side is consistently worse and often feels unstable, heavy, and fatigued, especially with prolonged walking.
I feel like I lack a strong push off/toe off, and my double support time on my Apple Watch has been consistently around 30% since I was 16 (I'm 21 now). I've had these symptoms since around age 14. My gait has been described by others as "slow", "loud", and "careful". I have a mild overpronation on both feet. I have also been known to "trip over air" and "fall up the stairs".
My ankle dorsiflexion has decreased despite PT and stretching, and I played two years of JUCO softball where I weight trained and did work with athletic trainers, and my gait and endurance stayed the same or slightly decreased despite this.
I try to stay active and have completed several rounds of PT, strengthening/weight training, athletics, OTC orthotics, stretching, and OTC bracing, I continue to have recurrent ankle instability, frequent fatigue with walking, and pain during or after activity. I walk with a slower/cautious gait pattern and feel like my calves and upper legs are constantly working to stabilize each step.
I am hypermobile (5/9 beighton), and have a right ankle CAIT of 8/30. My doctors don't seem to take this into account and just keep pushing for more PT and stretching, which has not helped. The hypermobility diagnosis is recent, and I haven't seen ortho since before the diagnosis.
Right now, I am wearing superfeet in my shoes, never go barefoot, have hokas that were fit by a store, and wear ankle compression sleeves and a ASO brace on my right side. Walking still feels inefficient/exhausting, my ankle hurts on push off and even just walking, and my calves and gastrocnemius are still super tight. It feels like I'm using my calves and gastrocs to guard/stabilize my gait.
Functionally, this has significantly limited my ability to comfortably run, hike, jump, walk long distances, tolerate uneven terrain, or participate fully in sports and recreational activities. Routine daily activities such as walking to class, stairs, standing at work, and longer outings all increase pain and fatigue, and it is starting to affect my mental health.
I live close to Cornerstone (about 15 minutes away), and I want nothing more than to be able to hike, run, jump, and go for walks without fatigue and pain. Is it worth asking ortho for a referral to be evaluated by an orthotist? Or would another specialist be worth asking for? I'm currently on a waitlist for PT.
I recently made a mess of my dominant thumbs nail bed with a circular saw and it won't grow back in a usable way. I'm considering making a kind of ring/nail hybrid to give the finger some support as I need to pick up small objects for my carpentry work.
I understand this might not really be the place to ask for help as it's not a limb or even a digit, but even just if anyone has heard of where I might get advice or see examples of this sort of thing that would be helpful. I'm not even sure what to Google lol. Unfortunately prosthetic nails just gives me aesthetic stuck on ones 😮💨 is there a word for what I'm looking for?
Much thanks in advance!
I have foot drop, knee buckling, and a knee flexion contracture. I can walk without locking my knee, but I compensate by leaning forward and my gait feels unstable.
An orthotics center recommended a custom carbon fiber locked KAFO using imported Ottobock components with a movable ankle joint (Tango ankle joint). They took a cast and did walking trials/alignment adjustments.
The quoted price is around ₹4 lakh (~$4,700 USD).
For people experienced with KAFOs/orthotics:
Does this sound like a reasonable price?
Was a carbon fiber KAFO worth it for you?
Did it improve fatigue, stability, or walking efficiency?
Anything important I should verify before buying?
Thanks.
Hey everyone,
So I've been dealing with a very specific problem that's been driving me crazy and I'm curious if anyone else faces the same issue.
Traveling with a spare prosthetic leg is a nightmare. I've tried stuffing it in a regular suitcase, carrying it separately, you name it. Nothing feels like a proper solution. At some point I just thought, why isn't there a backpack designed specifically for this?
So that's what I'm working on. The basic idea is a backpack with a solution built around actually holding a prosthetic leg properly, keeping it secure and protected..
Before I go too far down this road I really want to know what you guys think:
I'd rather get some tough honest feedback now than build something nobody actually needs. So don't hold back!
Thanks
I am a rising senior majoring in human physiology and I want to go into prosthetics R&D. My curriculum somehow doesn't include the pre-reqs for biomechanics or other, in depth, more physical based movement science courses. My major at this school is based more around how the body system functions (like pulmonary, cardiovascular,...). I originally wanted to take the pre-med track, but being an international student is already making my chances of getting into med school pretty slim (aside from my average grades lol). I am looking for some advice on how to enrich my knowledge around biomechanics/applying it to prosthetic devices, and also some proof that I know the knowledge to put onto my resume for potentially a masters or job.
I know I made the switch pretty late into my college years, but I could really appreciate any insights on how to gain some valuable experiences 😄
(I have been looking into some online courses like Coursera, please let me know if that is a good use of time or there are better alternatives)
Hello, I am a third-year student at I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (PMSMU), Faculty of Clinical Psychology. I am conducting a research that may change lives!
It's about body image in adult women with prostheses and/or implants. i really need your help. doesn't matter if you have a prosthesis or not, please, i need answers from both parties. please share if you're comfortable!
it'll take only 4 min, it's completely anonymous, and it will make a great impact.
here's the link: https://forms.gle/ptgsu1xMmRoFLuNU8 thank you!
p. s. My focus goes beyond the purely medical aspects of prosthetics — I want to explore how they shape people'ssense of self, identity, their social connections, and their position within society. In particular, I'm looking at how individuals re-learn and renegotiate their sense of embodiment while living with prosthetic technologies in an ableist society.
Hello everyone,
Looking for the input of other CPOs and prosthetic technicians. Our workshop has the budget to invest in a new transfemoral prothesis alignment set, and we get to chose.
I'm looking for an alternative to the PROS.A Assembly set from Ottobock. We do not like it. It's cheap quality, kind of lackluster if you use any other knee than the ones designed by Ottobock, and overpriced as hell.
What do you recommend?
Currently we use the 743A100 from Ottobock (the old blue one, with screws on side of socket), and before that we had the heavy steel white one from Ottobock.
Thanks for the feedback!
I started this project a couple years ago and then got too depressed to continue working on it, but I’m doing a lot better now so I’ve been wondering if I should continue it.
Personally I disliked that (at least at the time) nobody seemed interested in making a 3D printable claw prosthetic. It’s like everything had to use sensors, servos and microcontrollers. I’ve never been a fan for complicated things, I think simpler is harder to break.
I’ll probably redo the attachment point for the claw first. The idea is that the claw and sleeve are mostly “one size fits all”, with an adjustable arm sleeve and a modular design to accept different “manipulators”.
I was going to work on a version that was better suited for using the keyboard, maybe even for playing some games. I also recently gotten into EEG’s in case I changed my mind about simplicity and decided to go complex and make some mind controlled thumbs and index fingers.
A few years ago, whenever I searched for bionic hands in India, almost everything I found was either imported, extremely expensive, or felt disconnected from the reality of users here.
Most people around me didn’t even know that advanced prosthetic hands in India existed. And the few who did often assumed they were only for wealthy people or large hospitals.
That’s one of the reasons we started Bendita Bionics.
We wanted to see if it was possible to build a lightweight and affordable bionic hand in India that was actually practical for everyday life. not just something that looked futuristic in videos.
One thing we realized very early is that many users don’t care about “robotic features” alone. What matters more is:
Even small things like:
can make a huge emotional difference for someone using a prosthetic.
A lot of advanced imported prosthetics are impressive technologically, but they can also be:
So we started focusing heavily on:
One interesting thing we’ve noticed while talking with users is that the “best prosthetic hand” is not always the most advanced one. Sometimes the best one is simply the one a person feels comfortable wearing every day.
We’re still learning and improving continuously, but it’s exciting to see more innovation happening around bionic prosthetic hands in India now.
I genuinely think the future of prosthetics in India will become:
Would love to hear thoughts from others here:
Always curious to learn from real experiences and perspectives.
I Have a bachelors of Kinesiology But after working as a pt aide for about a year i was left drained and socially fatigued because the aides take on the most work so i didnt see myself going down the DPT path any further so since then ive been researching diffrent fields, Biomedical Equipment Tech, HVAC, Engineering/ Tech, and now this field it really sparked my interest and curious if i could get any advice. It’s really been weighing on me that I haven’t picked something different to move towards in two years but i have been saving. Also there is a pta program near me but idk i kind of got traumatized from being a PT aide and working with 20 patients a day/ just small talk all day.
I graduated with a B.S. in biomedical engineering last year, I have always wanted to get into O&P, and I would genuinely be happy being either a Prosthetist or working in an R&D setting. My current problem is I am no longer sure on how to move forward with this goal in mind. I am currently a California resident and due to some external issues I can not leave the state. Every job I see requires certifications, but every certification requires on-site hours. I feel like my best bet is to currently go for the orthotic fitter certification, but I am unsure on how to get the 1000 hours required. Will more places be open to hiring me if I take the pre-certification course?
What was the test like? Any major job or salary changes from being a prosthetic technician? What are your daily responsibilities?
