Page 10 - Mobility Management, April/May 2020

ATP Series
STRIKING THE RIGHT
Lifestyle, extremity function and prosthetic use are crucial in determining a limb loss client’s needs. How do you address them all?
By Haley Samsel
OF ALL THE MANTRAS that permeate the complex rehab technology (CRT) industry, one stands out from the rest: There is no one-size-fits-all solution for patients, who typically require customized devices that can evolve with their mobility needs.
This is especially true when it comes to clients with limb loss — a diverse patient population that includes people born with or without use of their upper or lower extremities, as well as amputees who lost limbs in traumatic incidents or because of medical conditions such as cancer. Within this category, Assistive Technology Professionals (ATPs) encounter cases ranging from kids with congenital limb loss to veterans finding ways to remain
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independent after losing extremities during their military service.
Solving the mobility equation for these clients is complicated by another factor: the specific ways that people use pros- theses in their daily lives. While one adult prefers to wear prosthetic devices nearly every time they leave the home, another may only use prostheses when they head to work or travel.
But even as the varying uses of prostheses present challenges with balance, weight distribution and seating, complex rehab professionals say there is a common trait among nearly all clients they serve, limb loss included: a desire to get from point A to point B, and to do so
with as much independence as possible. Now, the CRT industry must recognize
which solutions can help patients with limb loss reach that goal, said Steffen Tiskus, PT, Training and Development Coordinator, Power Positioning, at Motion Concepts.
“For greater levels of independence, especially for individuals with lower-ex- tremity amputations who would have the ability to independently put on and take off their prosthetic limbs, there are products that have been on the market for a number of years that are just under-utilized,” Tiskus said. “We are creatures of habit, but we need to open doors to some of these products, even if we’re less familiar with them.”
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