BOSTON – The Orthotic and Prosthetic Technological Association is in the process of creating industry standard guidelines for central fabrication facilities and technicians. To date, there is no common reference guide or manual that technicians can access, and what reference…
Month: September 2012
Ottobock creates virtual reality training for upper limb amputees
Ottobock, in collaboration with Vienna University of Technology, has developed a virtual reality environment to help upper limb amputees practice control skills without impairing the learning of prosthesis control. The amputee’s arm and head movement is tracked by the iotracker…
Patients with diabetic neuropathy and foot deformity show most offloading in high-risk locations
Patients with diabetic neuropathy and foot deformity showed the highest offloading success rates of custom-made footwear at known high-risk locations, such as previous ulcer locations and Charcot feet. The lowest success rates, however, were found in forefoot deformities, according to…
Job insecurity increases symptoms of anxiety, depression
Symptoms of anxiety and depression and ratings of poor health have increased in workers who perceived their jobs were not secure, even among workers who avoided unemployment in the late 2000s recession, according to study results published in the Journal…
Expenditures for treatment of back and neck problems double in past decade
Since the late 1990s, expenditures for the treatment of back and neck problems have nearly doubled, mainly from increased spending for care provided by medical specialists. However, spending on primary care, chiropractic care and physical therapy for spinal problems has…
Lowering payments following acute hospitalization requires vigilant monitoring
Although Medicare payment reforms mandated in the Affordable Care Act for postacute care have great potential to lower costs without harming patients, policy makers will need to be vigilant to ensure that these cuts do not result in one-time savings…
Girls with severe AIS curve experience rapid skeletal growth rate
Compared with healthy age-matched controls, girls with severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis experienced significantly different growth patterns, such as delayed menarche and faster skeletal growth rate between the ages of 12 to 16 years, according to a study in Spine. Researchers…
ResCare joins Hero Health Hire
ResCare Inc. has joined Hero Health Hire, a coalition of health care companies, associations and hospitals with the goal of employing wounded veterans. ResCare provides residential, therapeutic, job training and education support to people with disabilities and others with special…