Wheelchair-bound individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) perceive their wheelchairs as part of their body, not extensions of immobile limbs, suggesting that the human brain can learn to treat relevant prostheses as a substitute for a non-working body part. In…
Month: March 2013
Employees with physical or psychological disabilities or long-term illness were twice as likely to be attacked and reported higher rates of insults, ridicule and intimidation in the workplace compared with other workers, according to a recently published study. Researchers examined…
Phantom pain linked to limb representation in brain
Among arm amputees who experienced phantom pain, patients who experienced the most pain maintained a stronger representation of the missing hand in the brain, according to recent study results published in Nature Communications. “Almost all people who have lost a…
FES cycling improves recovery in patients with spinal cord injuries
Long-term lower extremity functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling used as part of a patient’s rehabilitation therapy was associated with physical and neurological improvements for patients with chronic spinal cord injury, according to a study recently published in the Journal of…
OPAF, Shriners Hospital for Children host First Volley clinic
Shriners Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, in association with OPAF and The First Clinics, will host a First Volley tennis clinic on Saturday, March 16 from 4 pm – 6 pm at the Cherry Hill Health & Racquet Club in Cherry…
A set of guidelines designed to help prosthetists and clinicians make appropriate treatment choices for their patients is available to download through the RSLSteeper website. The guidelines are built around evidence-based medicine and clinical opinion in order to provide practitioners…
Robotic exoskeleton receives safety certificate
The Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL), a battery-powered exoskeleton developed by the Japanese robotics company Cyberdyne, received its global safety certificate in Japan, according to a report issued by Discovery News. HAL, which is intended for use in physical rehabilitation and…
Alliance Orthotics and Prosthetics, LLC announced the grand opening of its newest location in Denton, Texas. Demand for services in North Texas necessitated the addition of another patient care center to serve the growing needs of a vibrant community, according…
Surgery restores function after muscle paralysis
Surgeons at the University of California, San Diego Health System performed a procedure to restore function in a patient who experienced muscle paralysis after a car accident, according to a news release. The 58-year-old male had a stroke after he…
GA Tech hosts Orthotics Technology Forum
The Orthotics Technology Forum will be held at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta from May 29-31, the first time this event has been held in the United States. The forum will showcase current and emerging equipment, software and…