Traditionally, the
prosthetist uses a plaster wrap to define the shape of the remaining limb.
More generally, for the
prosthetist, HO represents an additional pressure-sensitive area in the residual limbs of recent combat amputees.
When the
prosthetist aligned each subject's current prosthetic foot to their usual socket, he or she may have made adjustments that minimized the effect of differences between the feet.
To address these challenges, DARPA sought the development of innovative diagnostic tools to improve socket fittings and socket performance thus enabling
prosthetists to more successfully and systematically deploy advanced upper extremity prosthetics, such as those developed by the DARPA RP programs.
Although two qualified
prosthetists performed alignments of the experimental prostheses during this study, each research participant had all his or her experimental prostheses aligned by only one of the
prosthetists.
In order to learn to fit and fabricate the NU-FlexSIV Socket, study
prosthetists were provided in-person training, a multimedia instruction manual, and ongoing consultation from the NU-FlexSIV Socket developers.
With more than 20 years of experience in the field, Sebastian Giede, Certified Orthopaedic
Prosthetist with Mediclinic, worked with the fully 3D printed device for the first time, stating "the potential of 3D printing in the field of prosthetic devices is huge.
Jim Dimond, Consultant Clinical Maxillofacial
Prosthetist at University Hospital Coventry, explained how the Thinky ARE-250 from Intertronics helped move from a lengthy, manual process requiring a skilled technician, to a short, reliable and automatic mixing process.
walking by 14 His
prosthetist of Villa shorts the badge on the leg...
All of these features and capabilities are provided to the
prosthetist as a complete system, eliminating any potential compatibility issues between joints or components.
Then you will work with a certified
prosthetist and a physical therapist to learn how to put on and remove it, and walk with it.
Fitting a socket to a residual limb is an iterative process, sometimes requiring several return visits to a
prosthetist, typically ranging from 5 to 40 visits per year [1-2].