Technology And Prosthetics

Over the years scientists have noted many complaints of a strange form of pain called phantom limb pain. This pain is strange because it is located in an appendage that no longer exists. By many of the amputees the pain is described as totally unbearable. Phantom limb pain has even driven some victims crazy. For the amputee population this is a very real problem that definitely needs to be solved.

The phantom limb pain the woman is experiencing is described as a painful condition of the amputated limb after the stump has completely healed. It is a chronic pain that occurs in more than 80% of amputees especially those who suffered pain in the limb before the amputation. Theories suggest that phantom limb pain results from redevelopment or hyperactivity of cut peripheral nerves, scar tissue or neuroma formation in the cut peripheral nerves, spinal cord deafferentation, and alterations in the thalamus and cortex. More so, the CNS integration, which involves reorganization and plastic modifications of the somatosensory cortex, effects the receptors in perceiving the pain of the amputated limb despite of the limb itself being absent. In addition,

What does it feel like to have a missing/paralyzed limb? I'm sure this question has popped into many of our heads at one point in time. You would think that the sensations and feelings from that limb would disappear altogether. However, for some people, they can still feel the presence of their limb even after it is gone. There is no clear answer as to why this happens, but one thing is for certain. A large percentage of people with phantom limbs will sometimes feel pain from that missing limb. There is nothing happening to the individual physically that would cause them to feel pain from their phantom limb. What is actually happening is that the nerves that are located at the area of amputation (the "stump") are sending signals to the brain, which tricks the brain into believing that the missing limb is still there. It is hypothesized that the brain may also interpret these signals as pain. I found this to be an interesting topic, as it gives a good example as to how our brains and nervous systems work when interpreting changes in the body.

Severely injuring a digit or limb can result in unrepentant damage and amputation. However, the painful sensations experienced in regard to that limb do not necessarily cease after amputation. The concept of feeling sensations in a limb that is no longer attached to the body is referred to as feeling a "phantom limb." This phenomenon is experienced by approximately 80%-100% of all patients who have lost a limb (1), and has therefore sparked wide interest in scientific community.

H. Sannu has experienced two devastating events: loss of my elination of peripheral nerves and below-the-knee amputation of a leg. Sannu has been experiencing sensations in a limb that had no sensation prior to the amputation. How might this be possible?

The phenomenon known as the phantom limb occurs in 95-100% of amputees. It can occur soon after amputation or occur years later. It is when patients feel sensations where the arm or leg used to be as if it were still there. These sensations can be either non-painful sensations or painful sensations, which are called phantom limb pain. These non-painful sensations are described as similar feels as if the limb were there such as warmth, tingling, itching, and movement. Phantom limb pain is described as stabbing, cramping, burning and shooting pain. Non-painful sensations usually occur soon after amputation and continue throughout life. It has been found that the strongest sites for

To achieve this, technology is being built into body enhancements, including limbs, organs and sense. Currently on the market are parts such as hearing aids that help deaf people hear, prosthetic limbs allowing people to replace ones they no longer have and glasses to aid the blind. What everyone may not know about is the more advanced technologies presently being worked on. In Brumfiel’s article (2013), he interviews Bertolt Myer, a man whom from birth was handed the disadvantage of not having a complete arm. With many passing years, Myer had used many types of replacements, and now, his newest addition, a bionic hand. Inside of the moulded forearm are two electrodes that respond to muscular signals in the residual limb: Sending a signal to one electrode opens the hand and to the other closes it (Brumfiel, 2013). These enhancements support a person in living a happier and longer life in better health. But there are also other body enhancements that are purely for fun and personal gain. The question is, do they improve the quality of life? Or do they just prove to be inappropriate, irrelevant and diminish a person’s lifespan. In his article, Infante examines different types of body modification, and one in particular, the magnetic implant (2014). This implant is placed into the flesh of a man’s ring finger and allows gives him the

One of the solutions that Pro-sthetic Printers developed is a glove functioning as a prosthetic hand with a rechargeable source located in a “watch” compartment. There will be a number pad on the top of the hand, used to control the motions of the fingers. Each joint will have a number assigned to it, as seen in Figures 1 and 2. The numbers can be pressed in specific sequences to trigger specific types of motion along the joints and grips. The grip can then be released by pressing a cancel button on the number pad. Our idea is to make a new version of the Glove One, which is a robotic glove that has the capabilities of a basic cell phone. This model will have a shape similar to the Glove One model and will also have a similar range of motion. The prosthetic shall be able to slide over the users palm, like a glove, and will have hollow finger protrusions. The hollow finger protrusions allow for the user’s remaining anatomic fingers to work together with the prosthetic fingers. Our model will have five fingers that can be programmed based on the user’s needs. There will also be a velcro strap across the palm to ensure that the prosthetic model will not slip off. The fingers of our model will have different joints so that the user can have a wide range of motion. Our prosthetic model will be able to do more complex motions than just the whole hand grasp, as seen in Figures 3,4 and 5.

Just like a dexterous robotic hand that can grab objects by controlling individual fingers, this project has grabbed my attention. One of the reasons why I am so interested in your project is because of my desire to build prosthetics. Even though I have very little research experience, I have a strong desire to work for this project to learn more about biomechanics ranging from understanding the biology behind it, ranging from neuronal signals and muscle contractions, to actually understanding how we can design mechanical parts to perform the daily tasks in life such as lifting heavy objects and even writing.

Problems with blood circulation, injuries from traffic collusion to military combat, cancer, and birth defects are all reasons why someone may lose a limb. Typically, after a person loses a limb they lose mobility and they can’t do many things by themselves. According the amputee coalition 95 percent of all amputees have a prosthesis. Out of the 95 percent ten percent of them say they do not wear it on a constant basis, 75 percent of them indicated that it was easier to do daily task without the device. What are these devices? There are two main subsets of prosthesis including prosthesis that replaces the limb and then there is cosmesis prosthesis that are just for cosmetic that do not have any function. The main idea of a prosthetic is that

With such differences within the amputee community, there could be a possibility of certain factors uniquely effecting the quality of life before, during, and after prosthetic rehabilitation. Amputees and prosthetics are often viewed from a general perspective by the public. We often do not look further then what we see with our eyes, allowing sympathy to take the place of genuine research regarding amputees and prosthetics. The rehabilitation process for those who require limb prosthesis can be long, grueling, and emotional taxing (O’Keeffe, 2011). The prosthetic rehabilitation

Sacks discussed the ideas behind the phantom limb and how they affected many peoples live. The most interesting story was about a sailor that accidentally cut off his index finger. For forty years he thought he would poke himself in the eye whenever he moved his hand to his face. One day he lost the feeling in his entire hand including his phantom finger and his problem was cured (Sacks 66-67). Up to 70 percent of amputees confirmed that they still feel or still thought a missing limb was there. They often feel that they can reach out and grab something. Some won't sleep in a certain way because they feel the missing limb between them and the mattress. The sensations felt stem from the activity of the sensory axons

systems sense feeling because it has electrical sensors in the prosthetic limb to detect the

According to Bouwsema, van der Sluis, and Bongers, (2014) myoelectric prostheses are controlled by electrical signals communicated from the underlying muscles to the skin’s surface. The signals are then amplified and directed to microprocessors that control motors in the joints and hands.Myoelectric control of a prosthesis relies on the electrical action potential of the residual limb’s

It is obvious that the different parts of the body have different tactile sensation, which is similar to my hypothesis, and the most sensitive part is the ear, and the least sensitive part is the finger. This experiment is very successful, it can be seen that the method and process are reasonable, so it can be recommended. In the end, the pain is more than just what happened to the skin tactile sensor. It has a lot to do with what happens in the brain, for example, a tiny piece of debris in a finger is extremely painful, and cutting your leg may not hurt the same. So applications are used in hospitals, doctors can determine the severity of the injury to the patient's pain. And some diseases can be found due to the different parts of the