Optimus Prosthetics - March Newsletter

Gl enn Schober, LP, CP Clinical Manager-Dayton, came across the prosthetics field almost by accident. He first encountered it while in college, and liked how it allowed him to use his engineering background to help others. Glenn earned his BS in bio-mechanical engineering from MSU and studied prosthetics at UCLA.

He came to Optimus Prosthetics because he shared a similar mission of excellence in patient care, and he likes the people who work here. His greatest enjoyment is the one-on-one interaction he gets to have with amputees.

Glenn is ever-encouraging of patients, reminding them that in his 30 years of working in this field, he has seen many people overcome the challenges that accompany an amputation.

"You'll get there," he says. "Be patient, it takes time to adjust to wearing a prosthesis."

He encourages his patients to connect with other amputees, as it can be helpful during the adjustment period.

Linda Leduke: Spared for a Purpose

To say that 2016 was a difficult year for Linda would be putting it very mildly. It started when she had to have rotator cuff surgery in May. Two months later, as she was still recovering from that surgery, her longtime boyfriend passed away suddenly. Then, three months after his death, she found out that she had contracted 3 different types of infections including a flesh eating bacteria, and she would have to have her leg amputated in order to save her life. Linda held tight to her faith, her spirited nature, and quick wit. When the going got tough, she kept thinking, "God spared me for some reason," and she was determined to find out what that reason was.

Prior to all of this, Linda worked in the healthcare industry taking care of others, and now, she found herself in the position of having to have others help her take care of herself. Linda has such an amazing, compassionate heart that, even while she was still recovering after her amputation surgery, she just had to call and check in with one of the families that she took care of while she was working. She knew that they were going through a lot, and she wanted to make sure they were ok. In spite of all that she went through, Linda has done her best to remain positive. "It's a choice. You have to make a choice to crawl out of that hole, that dark place and get your life back together. You come to realize it can always be worse." Linda also chose to make use of her recovery time to help anyone she could whether it was by sharing a smile, checking in with a phone call, etc. Focusing on helping others is one of the things that helped Linda to heal.

One of the ways that Linda gets herself re-focused on the difficult days is choosing to find humor in the everyday things and the adjustments that many new amputees go through. Like the time the nurse at her nursing home lent Linda some scissors so she could wrap Christmas gifts. The nurse instinctively told Linda, "Now, don't go running with those scissors." Linda couldn't help but laugh, and this is now a "running" joke between the two of them.

Now that she has her prosthesis, Linda is so excited to begin getting her life back. She admits and is aware that it will be a process of relearning how to do things and will take hard work on her part, but she is dedicated to seeing it through. Or, as she puts it, "I know I gotta' put on my 'granny pants' and my pumps, and get movin'!! I need to learn to do things for myself." One of Linda's big goals is to learn how to drive again. Having her prosthesis has given her a taste of freedom and hope for the future, and it will allow her to start regaining her independence and gaining a sense of accomplishment as she tackles each of her goals!

Jim's Corner- Quiet Stance: Upper Extremity Patterns

Jim Scharf, PTA

The goal of "Jim's Corner" is to provide helpfu l information and be a resource for those helping patients fitted with prosthetics learn t o use them correctly in order to enjoy a better quality of life as an amputee.

In last month's column we discussed the first piece of the prosthetic limb stance/sound limb on a foam pad or dyna disc series of drills, establishing a quiet stance. Once we have established the ability to maintain a quiet stance for 30 seconds with no postural sway we can now progress to the upper extremity patterns .

The patient stands on their prosthesis and places the sound limb on a pad or disc with a stable object for the required assistance and safety. Try to concentrate on keeping the hips even with each other, the pelvis level and to not lean way over the prosthetic limb. M aintaining a backward force within the socket will help to maintain stability.

While the patient stands on their prosthesis with their sound limb on a foam pad or dyna disc they m ove the arms in patterns of:

Bilateral UE flexion & extension

Progressing to:

Alternating UE flexion & extension

Bilateral UE scaption/abduction

Progressing to:

Alternating UE scaption/abduction

Bilateral UE horizontal flys

Progressing to:

Alternating UE horizontal flys

Jim Scharf, PTA, Prosthetic Assistant/Gait Specialist

Jim has been a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant since 1988. Jim has worked with lower extremity amputee patients throughout his career. He serves as a Gait Specialist and Liaison when prosthetic patients are meeting with their therapists. Feel free to contact Jim if he can assist you in any way at:[email protected].