News Archive
Teams begin training for South Pole race
TEAMS of injured servicemen and women have been training for a race to the South Pole under the guidance of three experienced polar guides.
Groups from the UK, USA and Commonwealth including Canadians and Australians have been put through their paces during an expedition in Iceland to determine the final team members who will head south during December.
Pace Rehabilitation, who supported Walking With The Wounded's successful expedition to the North Pole in 2011, are extending their prosthetic provision for the race.
Groups from the UK, USA and Commonwealth including Canadians and Australians have been put through their paces during an expedition in Iceland to determine the final team members who will head south during December.
Pace Rehabilitation, who supported Walking With The Wounded's successful expedition to the North Pole in 2011, are extending their prosthetic provision for the race.
New socket helps Colin push himself to the limit
OFF-road runner Colin Edwards can push himself to the limit again thanks to a new transtibial socket for his running blade from Dorset Orthopaedic.
Amputee Colin, 57, successfully ran 630 miles across England's South West Coastal path over five weeks in the summer 2011, averaging a half marathon each day.
When he was 19 years old, he endured dramatic damage to his right leg after a terrible motorcycle accident. Initially his leg could be saved, but when Colin reached his late 30's, he suffered chronic pain and complications, resulting in him making the difficult decision to elect to become an amputee.
Colin has an adapted Flex-run blade made by Ossur. This blade provides energy return and has a proven record in international competitions.
It is also fitted with a heel, giving him stability when running up and down hills, ensuring he doesn't slip. Colin runs off-road, as the pressure is softer than the harsh impact road running puts on an amputee's residual limb.
Amputee Colin, 57, successfully ran 630 miles across England's South West Coastal path over five weeks in the summer 2011, averaging a half marathon each day.
When he was 19 years old, he endured dramatic damage to his right leg after a terrible motorcycle accident. Initially his leg could be saved, but when Colin reached his late 30's, he suffered chronic pain and complications, resulting in him making the difficult decision to elect to become an amputee.
Colin has an adapted Flex-run blade made by Ossur. This blade provides energy return and has a proven record in international competitions.
It is also fitted with a heel, giving him stability when running up and down hills, ensuring he doesn't slip. Colin runs off-road, as the pressure is softer than the harsh impact road running puts on an amputee's residual limb.
Monitoring system helps stroke patients take more control
A REAL time monitoring system developed by researchers at The Glasgow School of Art and Strathclyde University is helping stroke patients to take more control of their recovery.
Funded by Lifelong Health and Wellbeing, Envisage is an innovative system that converts complex biomechanical data into easily understandable images to help both therapist and patient.
It is currently being trialled in three settings - the community, the domestic and the hospital environment - in partnership with Lanarkshire Health Care NHS Trust.
Therapists currently need to explain to patients how they are getting on with particular movements and exercises. With Envisage patients are able to see and understand immediately the extent to which they are achieving their target position and respond by making adjustments instantly.
Sensors placed on patients' upper and lower limbs during therapy sessions monitor exercises and convert the movement data in real time into images. Patients see their movements being made by a 'stick figure' with the extent to which a desired movement is being achieved indicated by a clear red to green spectrum.
The system is tailored not only to the individual patient, but also to the specific therapy session with targets able to be adjusted as recovery proceeds.
Funded by Lifelong Health and Wellbeing, Envisage is an innovative system that converts complex biomechanical data into easily understandable images to help both therapist and patient.
It is currently being trialled in three settings - the community, the domestic and the hospital environment - in partnership with Lanarkshire Health Care NHS Trust.
Therapists currently need to explain to patients how they are getting on with particular movements and exercises. With Envisage patients are able to see and understand immediately the extent to which they are achieving their target position and respond by making adjustments instantly.
Sensors placed on patients' upper and lower limbs during therapy sessions monitor exercises and convert the movement data in real time into images. Patients see their movements being made by a 'stick figure' with the extent to which a desired movement is being achieved indicated by a clear red to green spectrum.
The system is tailored not only to the individual patient, but also to the specific therapy session with targets able to be adjusted as recovery proceeds.
University leads on £5.7m study into way joints and medical implants are made
THE University of Leeds is leading a £5.7m, government-backed initiative to transform the way replacement joints and other medical implants are made.
The Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices will bring together academics and industrialists in a bid to maintain the UK's leading role in the medical technologies industry and improve the quality of lives of patients.
It is one of four new centres for innovative manufacturing announced by Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts that will share a pot of £21m grant funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council when they open later this year.
Professor John Fisher, deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Leeds and professor of mechanical engineering, will lead the new centre.
THE University of Leeds is leading a £5.7m, government-backed initiative to transform the way replacement joints and other medical implants are made.
The Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices will bring together academics and industrialists in a bid to maintain the UK's leading role in the medical technologies industry and improve the quality of lives of patients.
It is one of four new centres for innovative manufacturing announced by Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts that will share a pot of £21m grant funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council when they open later this year.
Professor John Fisher, deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Leeds and professor of mechanical engineering, will lead the new centre.
Team pioneer 'orthopaedic profiling' system
SURGEONS at Southampton's university hospitals are using technology more commonly used to test corrosion in the legs of oil rigs to provide tailor-made hip and knee replacements for patients.
Led by Jeremy Latham, a consultant hip surgeon at Southampton General Hospital, a team of clinicians, scientists and engineers have pioneered an 'orthopaedic profiling' system to work on patients who require revision surgery because their original replacements have failed.
But instead of just removing and replacing failed artificial joints, they run the materials through a series of unique laboratory tests to find out why a particular type of material has failed in an individual.
The development follows widespread concern in the last few years over the effectiveness of metal-on-metal hip replacements, with research suggesting that more than a quarter of some devices fail within five years.
SURGEONS at Southampton's university hospitals are using technology more commonly used to test corrosion in the legs of oil rigs to provide tailor-made hip and knee replacements for patients.
Led by Jeremy Latham, a consultant hip surgeon at Southampton General Hospital, a team of clinicians, scientists and engineers have pioneered an 'orthopaedic profiling' system to work on patients who require revision surgery because their original replacements have failed.
But instead of just removing and replacing failed artificial joints, they run the materials through a series of unique laboratory tests to find out why a particular type of material has failed in an individual.
The development follows widespread concern in the last few years over the effectiveness of metal-on-metal hip replacements, with research suggesting that more than a quarter of some devices fail within five years.
'Terminator-style' bionic hand proves life-changing for amputee
A PRECIOUS metals smelter who was involved in an accident at work involving an industrial blender five years ago has been fitted with a new fully articulating, myo-electric bebionic3 hand by RSLSteeper.
Nigel Ackland, 52, from Cambridge, suffered a severe crush injury and partial de-glove of his right forearm. He underwent six months of operations and infections before deciding to have a below elbow amputation. Due to the extent of his injuries he has been unable to return to work since.
Following the amputation, Nigel was initially fitted with a passive hand. As this was a purely cosmetic hand, he was unable to use the hand functionally and was reliant on performing tasks with his left hand.
Nigel's second arm was a body powered hook. A body harness connected to the hook allowed Nigel to use his upper body to open and close the hook. Nigel found this prosthesis uncomfortable and difficult to use and stopped wearing it.
He later received an electric arm with a terminal device called a greifer. He found the greifer much more functional but was disappointed with its cosmetic appearance.
Nigel Ackland, 52, from Cambridge, suffered a severe crush injury and partial de-glove of his right forearm. He underwent six months of operations and infections before deciding to have a below elbow amputation. Due to the extent of his injuries he has been unable to return to work since.
Following the amputation, Nigel was initially fitted with a passive hand. As this was a purely cosmetic hand, he was unable to use the hand functionally and was reliant on performing tasks with his left hand.
Nigel's second arm was a body powered hook. A body harness connected to the hook allowed Nigel to use his upper body to open and close the hook. Nigel found this prosthesis uncomfortable and difficult to use and stopped wearing it.
He later received an electric arm with a terminal device called a greifer. He found the greifer much more functional but was disappointed with its cosmetic appearance.
