Given Limb Foundation » Arms

Doctors Rewire Nervous System for Amputees

givenlimb — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:36:48 +0000

“The Economist” has reported on a new technique called “targeted reinnervation”, which allows doctors to rewire the nervous system of amputees so that they can more naturally use their prosthetic limbs.

Prosthetic arms are becoming more sophisticated, but many amputees prefer to use the older, simpler mechanical models. This is because learning to use the more sophisticated myoelectric devices can be difficult. Using the arms, which rely on electromyography (EMG) sensors on the skin to control movement, requires retraining the brain to make new associations between muscle movements (e.g., shoulder flexing) and the resulting movement of the prosthetic. Doctors are addressing this issue by using a technique called “targeted reinnervation”, which involves rerouting the nerves that were used to control the now-missing limb and connecting them to another part of the body. They are also developing sensors that can be attached to prosthetic limbs and connected to the skin’s underlying sensory system, so that prosthetic limbs will be able to “feel” sensations like temperature and pressure.

Forty people around the world have already undergone targeted reinnervation, and the hope is that someday it can also be applied to paraplegics, and that electrodes can ultimately be implanted in the motor cortex of the brain

See the complete article in “The Economist Technology Quarterly”.

Prosthetic decorations

givenlimb — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:23:22 +0000

An amputee himself, a GLF reader named Dan has developed a way to decorate prosthetic devices with custom designs or tattoos. He has produced a variety of designs on prosthetics–American flags, Marine insignias, roses, etc. If you visit his website, www.gtopi.com, you can see examples of his work and get information on how to contact him.

Donating Prosthetic Limbs to Help Indigent in Mexico

givenlimb — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:51:06 +0000

We have received numerous inquiries from people who have prosthetic limbs that are no longer being used and would like to donate them to someone who can use them. We have been referring everyone to the Amputee Coalition of America website, where they have a list of agencies that will accept those donations. (See the previous post ”Donations of Prosthetic Limbs” for a link to the ACA webpage.) However, recently we have been in touch with PIPO Missions in Savannah, Ga., another foundation which resuses donated prosthetic limbs and braces to help the indigent in Mexico. Founded by David Puckett, a licensed prosthetist who was featured on CNN’s ”Heroes” program, PIPO’s mission is to “reach out to southeastern Mexico’s indigent, physically disabled citizens who are in specific need of orthotic and/or prosthetic care, but are unable to afford services, through the provision of orthopedic braces and artificial limbs along with corrective surgery whenever possible.” David Puckett visits towns and villages in southeastern Mexico several times each year providing free medical care to patients with orthopedic needs, fitting them with the prosthetic limbs and braces that have been donated to PIPO. For more information about PIPO, click here.

PIPO has been able to assist approximately 150 people each year, and they welcome the donation of prosthetic limbs and devices. Donations may be shipped to the following address:

PIPO Missions

5202 Waters Avenue

Savannah, GA 31404

Include your name, address, and description of the donated limb and they will send you a thank-you letter for your records.

The Given Limb Foundation welcomes other suggestions of agencies that accept these donations! Our recent post titled “Haiti needs Prosthetic Limbs” received some suggestions of where to send limb donations as well–see the comments attached to that post for more information.

Donation of Prosthetic Limbs

givenlimb — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:07:35 +0000

We have received numerous questions about how to go about donating used prosthetic limbs. Thanks to Glenn Standage, who informed us that the Amputee Coalition of America lists on its website several organizations that accept these donations. We refer interested donors to the ACA webpage. Click here for a link.

Haiti needs prosthetic limbs

givenlimb — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:44:29 +0000

As a result of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, many people lost limbs, and there is a tremendous and immediate need for prosthetic limbs as well as prosthetists to fit limbs. We have heard from several people asking about limb donations. The St. Vincent’s School for children with disabilities is in need of child sized prosthetic limbs, and there are other orphanages caring for wounded children in the aftermath of the earthquake. If you know of someone with the ability to help, or if you have contact with other groups in Haiti looking for prosthetics, please respond to this blog. Perhaps we can facilitate the direction of funds or aid efforts in this cause.

Insurance Runs Out for 12-Year-Old Boy

givenlimb — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:02:27 +0000

Benjamin French, a 12-year-old boy from Michigan, was born without his right arm below the elbow. He has had several prostheses fitted for him throughout his life and his insurance company now claims that he is ineligible for future coverage. In Michigan, insurance companies are allowed to place a cap on the amount of money spent on prosthetics throughout a lifetime. His policy with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan only covers a maximum of $30,000 for prosthetics and an additional $1,000 a year for repair. His recent prosthetic arm is set to cost $30,000 and he may grow out of that. His mother states that this new prosthetic will cost over half of the family’s combined income. Heath care reform bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate will push for a more uniform system of health care but it will still differ from state to state.

Donation of Prosthetic Limbs

givenlimb — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:05:54 +0000

Through the Given Limb website, we receive many questions about what to do with prosthetic limbs that are not being used anymore. Often when a family member who was an amputee passes away, the family members don’t want to discard his/her expensive prosthetic limbs, and are looking for some way to donate them to someone who is in need. To our knowledge, there is no clearinghouse or agency that tries to match unused prosthetic devices with amputees in need. We welcome feedback from anyone who has had experience donating prosthetic limbs, or who has knowledge of organizations that facilitate such donations.

Prosthetic Arm Limitations

givenlimb — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:58:19 +0000

Prosthetic technology has been advancing quickly, especially with respect to prosthetic legs. New technology allows leg amputees to participate in many sports and activities that enhance quality of life. The same may not be true of prosthetic arm technology. While there are exciting efforts currently under development to create “bionic” arms, upper limb amputees still face many limitations in dealing with everyday life issues. The resumption of athletic pursuits with a prosthetic arm may often seem unrealistic.

Because the number of people with prosthetic arms is small, even relatively simple sports-related prosthetic arm modifications may not be available to the typical person. But it may be that, with a limited amount of funding and access to basic engineering resources, some useful arm modifications could be developed to allow those with prosthetic arms to enjoy some of the activities that were important to them before their amputation, or to take on new activities to enhance their life. For example, some engineering students at Duke University developed an arm modification that allowed a young man who lost an arm in Iraq to resume rock-climbing.

The Given Limb Foundation would like your ideas! Are there activities you would like to take on, if only your prosthetic arm had some modification to allow it? Have you made modifications to your arm to allow you to participate in sports or other recreational activities? Do you have information to share about how you or others you know have resumed athletic activities after an amputation?

We have learned that the Challenged Athletes Foundation has grants available to those who need assistance with equipment, travel, etc., in order to resume athletic pursuits. We welcome other ideas for funding as well as ideas for prosthetic modifications.

Prosthetics on 60 Minutes Sept. 20

givenlimb — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:55:49 +0000

I hope all interested in prosthetic developments saw this week’s 60 Minutes…if not, below is a link to the video. Jon Kuniholm, the Duke biomedical engineer featured in the story, is a Given Limb board member and we are all proud of his team’s accomplishments. In fact, Peter Truskey, whose summer work at Duke was reported in this blog, was part of the team focused on the arm that was featured by Jon on the show. Peter’s work was funded by another Given Limb board member.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minutes/video/video.php?cid=927554855&pid=k9ZHLvJ5VysMnDVZurp9S3UPlYaOloDm&play=true&cc=0

Data Analysis on the Myoelectric Arm Project Proceeds

givenlimb — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:06:44 +0000

As of now, the student on the myoelectric signal processing project has written software to classify and analyze the data. He is still working out a few bugs in the data analysis, but so far the processor is mostly able to classify and recognize classes of data….which, translated, means it is able to identify electrical “signatures” for different types of arm movements. Additionally, the team has written the software for showing the data in real time. The next step, in addition to finishing up some final parts of the software, is to connect the signal processing to a real signal. Using a beagle board (like the guts of a mini computer …no screen or keyboard, just the innards needed to “drive” an arm or a hand), the team will be able to hook up live electrodes and test out the processor with some real data. Stay tuned!