Prosthetic Limbs: Evidence Based Research

Seeking to learn more about the ways a person can recover led me to volunteer at a rehabilitation unit within a nursing home. I enjoyed watching the occupational therapists care for their patients in a specific, yet holistic way. Speaking frequently with a patient about hockey, despite the communication difficulty caused by his stroke, prompted his therapist to hand us hockey sticks; together we passed a bean bag back and forth prudently, engaging the side of his body affected by his stroke. His therapist took his interest and assimilated it into his therapy; this

Most parents as they near the due date of their child are filled with excitement and happiness; however this could not have been further from the truth with my parents. My parents were informed by the doctors and that my lungs were collapsed because my intestines had pushed up into my thoracic cavity though a hole in my diaphragm. Then only option was to deliver me two weeks prematurely and perform immediate surgery. The outlook was bleak; through the lifesaving intervention a surgeon, I survived. This has impacted the choices I make in my everyday life throughout the years. I don't take opportunities or people for granted, and I realize everything I am able to experience is thanks to the skill of the surgeons in the operation room that night. This has

Occupational therapists work with clients to restore independence that has been lost or disrupted due to illness, injury, or disease. Occupational therapy practice involves assessing and determining an appropriate treatment approach based on the client’s disability and individual needs. There are various occupation-based models, each client-centered and grounded in theory, that guide the clinical treatment process. In addition, the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (3rd ed.; AOTA, 2014) denotes various frames of reference to guide therapists when choosing specific intervention strategies based on the client’s needs (Cole & Tufano, 2018). This paper focuses on the application of the Occupation Adaption model,

Simultaneously, The Decline of my grandmother’s health after suffering a stroke led to a substantial need for assistance in an array of activities in her daily living. As a Certified Nursing Assistant, I Provided her with direct care and support throughout her recovery process. Therefore leading to, the observation of her OT sessions which eventually led to my deep interest, heightened appreciation, and new inspiration to change my course of study and career focus in the field of Occupational Therapy. Going forward, I began gaining volunteer experience At the Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Center, where I observed specialist in hand therapy, lymphedema, brain and spinal cord injuries. The experience was emotionally rewarding because I followed the gradual progression of patients, I learned about their stories and what brought them to the center. Volunteering was an Enriching Experience I had a hand in the therapy experience for the patient, and I got to observe Amazing people across all levels in the healthcare

It became very clear to me the role of Occupational Therapist in changing people’s mind about people with disabilities. There are many people with severe disabilities, however I feel as if, the society also chose to see what they can’t do and miss to see how capable they truly are. People often give up right away and most of the time hopelessness tend to takes over and blinds us from the possibilities of getting back into our feet and live the life we want. Julia Tavalaro’s story taught me that patience and persistence can a long way. Both occupational therapists on these short stories did not give up on helping their patients improve their daily lives. They work harder than their patients to find practical and realistic approaches to not only enhance the quality of their patients life, but also to boost self-worth and dignity. Reading success stories just like these fuels my desire to become occupational therapist. As a person who has so much love and passion for life, I want others to love theirs as

One scholar that has contributed a substantial amount of research that has impacted the occupational therapy profession and clients within the occupational therapy services is Dr. Tracy Chippendale. Dr. Chippendale is an occupational therapist that received her Masters and PhD at New York University. Dr. Chippendale is currently an assistant professor teaching courses on human development, research, and occupational therapy practice with older adults in the occupational therapy department at New York University. Dr. Chippendale has over seventeen years of experience working with older adults, which has influenced her research that focuses on geriatrics. This research places emphasis on intervention methods that allow elderly individuals to

Occupational therapy helps to heal a multitude of disabilities; the current high demand for therapists is somewhat due to modern issues, but some have been occurring since the beginning of mankind. Missing a limb is one problem that has occurred for millennium. There is documented evidence that humans have tried to replace a missing appendage since approximately 950 B.C. Throughout time prosthetics have mainly been produced with crude leftover supplies like wood, metal, and leather. More recently, rapid advancements in technology have helped progress the artificial limb from a beam of wood to a robotic arm controlled by the persons own thoughts. To fully understand the accomplishments of today, it is essential to understand the evolution

Afflicted by left-side Hemiplegia and bound to a wheelchair, my grandmother’s life was not one of ease. By the time I was born she had been living with her barriers for thirty years and had learned to compensate due to her astounding will and surrounding subpar medical practices. As a child I thought nothing of the fact that my grandmother was stricken with paralysis until I witnessed her take a turn for the worse and suffer another hemorrhagic stroke. Her recovery was long and arduous yet, it was a blessing that brought us closer together and nudged me down the path of Occupational Therapy.

What intrigues me most in the field of Occupational Therapy is that I could make a positive impact in the lives of others. An occupational therapist can help a patient revitalize their physical, cognitive, or emotional disabilities, and develop or restore its functionality through continuous practice and effort. There is nothing more fulfilling for me than to see an individual achieving the greatest possible independence. This train of thought arose when I observed an occupational therapist working with my mother to return her arm to feeling normal again after her accident.

As a young child, I did not fully grasp why my uncle was confined to a wheelchair. Many years later, my parents informed me that he had an arteriovenous malformation removed from his pons that left him ataxic. With a two-year-old daughter and a son on the way, my uncle was told he might never walk again. When individuals are confronted with a physical or emotional challenge such as this, they may look to others for support in finding inner strength and self-fulfillment in their life. As a future occupational therapist, I look forward to helping individuals finding this inner strength to attain competence and independence in the occupations of life.

In the article, “Brain Mapping allows patient to use mind to control artificial fingers.,” the Baltimore Sun looks at the new advances in the world of prosthetic limbs. Prosthetic limbs are fake body parts that try to recreate the amputated parts of a person or animal. A new theory for prosthetics is brain controlled fingers and joints. In this new hope for amputees, doctors are creating brain controlled arms and hands. Guy Hotson, a biomedical engineer, stated, “we still have a way to go before we get this in a practical clinic setting.” Well, according to biomedical engineers, many prototypes are already being made. But while reading the article, I was confused by what this type of science biomedical engineering was. SInce this word is only

Take a second, and imagine your life as a teenager, fresh out of college with, aspiring to get a degree in whatever your heart desires. You’ve got lots of ambition and potential. The world is at your fingertips; you can do anything you set your mind to. But one day, tragedy strikes and the unthinkable happens: you lose a limb. Why is not important, but what the future entails is. Let’s say this limb is your right arm, the one you have used all your life to write, eat, type and play the guitar. Now let’s change the scenario a little bit. Instead you’ve lost your legs in a horrific car accident where both were crushed under the weight of the dashboard as your car collided with the 4x4 in front of you. You wake up the next day in the hospital groggy, barely remembering what happened. Shock is the only thing running through your mind the moment you look down to see your legs missing. Your brain thinks they’re still there because yesterday you were just getting out of bed for your morning jog. All that remains are the stubs where your legs used to be and the unbearable thought of being confined to a motorized chair for the rest of your life.

to the area of prosthetics because of the lack of money they would get from it. However,

The full function of our bodies is taken for granted by so many people in this day and age, and arguably in every age. Only people still in the innocence of youth are often, the only ones who are truly able to access the full intended function. As we get older we begin to lose a plethora of our abilities; through old age, an injury, or whatever the case may be, we all slowly deteriorate. With modern science we are now able to regain some of what we had lost or have never hard, through neural prosthetics. In this essay, I will be dissecting and explaining what exactly neural prosthetics are while delving into its past, its current present applications while making comparisons to other similar technologies, and its future and potential

Rehabilitation technology services are utilized to assist clients who need technology to eliminate barriers to employment. The technology is all items that maintain, improve, or enhance the functional capabilities of clients with disability. These services can include mobility aide devices, vehicle modifications, prosthetics, hearing aids, and equipment for the visually impaired. These services are based on the needs of the client and vary. According to research, rehabilitation technology is a significant service for individuals who cope with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and cancer survivors (Chiu, Chan, Bishop, Cardoso, & O’Neil, 2013; Huang, et al., 2013; Strauser et al, 2010). These individuals and other clients utilize the technology to provide the necessary accommodations that they may