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NEWS FROM LIMBS 4 LIFE
AUTUMN 2015
IN THIS EDITION
Mandy McCracken
Phantom pain
Brisbane Amputee Forum
Personal stories
and much more...
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Finding my new groove
Mandy McCracken
How ridiculous. Really. Where on
your “Life Journey” would you
factor in that they would chop off
all your limbs?
After 10 months in hospital, a
Strep A infection, Septicaemia
and all that jazz, this was a
regular thought going through
my head. My husband Rod’s too.
What a ridiculous situation to find
ourselves in; a quad amputee.
BUT, on the other hand I was still
here.
Newly out of my coma, traciotomy
still in place, literally too weak to
move, I had a day that was my
turning point; we all have them.
I knew I had the choice to live or
die. I was still incredibly ill thinking
how the hell do I recover from this?
How does one stay sane enough
to keep going?
I decided to laugh my way through.
I named each thing that I had
attached to me. My tracheotomy
was Trevor, my bed, Harley
because it had wheels and down
the track I named my arms Alana
and Alan after my prosthetists. My
new legs are Stan Ding and Neil
Ling.
This attitude was the only way we
knew; just poke fun at it. On our
first family holiday after getting
sick, my sister asked us to send
her photos. It was 9.30 pm so the
only photos we could take at the
time was of our hotel room. So
Rod pulled off my plastic arm and
put it in the fridge, holding a beer.
Thus began the adventures of
Alana, Alan, Stan and Neil.
This frame of mind has been an
incredible strength to my entire
family. We did show and tell at
Kinder where the kids asked
us all sorts of questions. Had
hilarious nights on Facebook
having conversations with total
strangers. One night Rod was out,
kids all in bed and I posted that I
couldn’t get wine out of a cask. I
had so many offers from people to
come and help. The next morning
everywhere I turned people kept
asking me if I did get that glass of
wine in the end.
I have found that there is no
point hiding my disability. It is not
something I should be ashamed
of. People stare at me constantly
and frankly I am fascinating to look
at. I have two robot arms and two
pretend legs. Just like a pirate
I told the kinder kids. But I am
finding it hard to keep strong on
the inside. I live in a small country
town and everyone knows me.
Everyone. But, I don’t want to be
the town freak.
A positive attitude is vital but little
3
Limbs 4 Life NDIS amputee resource page
things that were once so easy are
now a source of frustration. Its
when I do things like putting the
washing in the machine but can’t
because my robot hand is playing
up. It’s then I do scream with tears
rolling down my face and I kick and
throw my arms across the room.
Sometimes there is no laughter to
fix the day’s problems.
The National Disability
Insurance Scheme
(NDIS) is a new
way of providing
individualised support
for eligible people
with a permanent and
significant disability,
their families and
carers.
“Sometimes
there is no
laughter to fix the
day’s problems”
One thing I find incredibly hard
to see are the success stories.
Gorgeous blond Para Olympians
gliding across the beach in wiz
bang blades. Wow. How fantastic
that they can rise above and
conquer the world. I on the other
hand have been off legs for over
6 weeks; doctor’s orders. I would
love to run along the beach, but
honestly, I never ran before. I’d
look terrible in a black bikini and
my husband is yet to perfect the
bikini line. I’m a redhead and I’d
just get burnt. So it won’t be me
at the Paralympics. I just hope that
one day I could walk the distance
of a shopping centre without my
stumps swelling.
It turns out I make a good
news article as well. I don’t
mind. I love telling people my
story. It is fascinating. The word
“Inspirational” is a catch cry of this
new world I find myself in, but it’s a
word that has been banned in our
house. We are just trying to move
forward and enjoy life.
Life is different. I am trying
desperately to find my new groove.
I used to be a stay at home parent;
incredibly busy running a house, a
few committees and mostly around
in circles. Now my husband runs
in circles, mainly around me. I am
afraid that it would be so easy to
just slow to a resting heartbeat.
But I don’t want that. To my
4
The new Limbs 4
Life resource page
provides information
about eligibility, trial
sites, advocacy, the
planning process and
an equipment provider
checklist to help you
determine your current
and future needs.
www.limbs4life.org.au
amazement I am finding it very
hard to get information on what’s
out there and to find others in the
same situation. Privacy laws just
seem to be in the way. So as my
case manager said, if its not there,
then I will need to create it. I’m not
sure how, but I am finding a lot
of other amputees on Facebook.
Maybe we should all get together
for a coffee one day?
So far the other amputees always
have a great story. It seems to be
the great stories that make this
“journey” such fun. My husband
and I are really enjoying telling
ours to anyone that will listen.
So, we are doing quite a bit of
public speaking. It’s our way of
paying back all of the support
we have received. We are also
finding ourselves as the voice of
the patient, helping hospitals reevaluate their processes.
Overall the last twenty months
have been an extraordinary social
experiment. How do you survive
a trauma, a complete change of
life? How does a town get used to
a newly disabled member of their
community? What do you place
your focus on now and how do
you not give up?
One day I will write a book. Even
if its just for my own sanity. I have
so many mad stories I have to tell
someone. Until then be in touch.
Find me at “Friends of Mandy”
on Facebook.
Cover image courtesy of The Herald Sun
SOCIAL
NETWORK
DID YOU KNOW
LIMBS 4 LIFE IS
ACTIVE ON SOCIAL
MEDIA? JOIN IN THE
CONVERSATION ON
FACEBOOK TWITTER
AND NOW YOU TUBE
object touched their skin. After
being touched on their hand, the
participants were asked to give a
rating of their pain out of 10. When
the blue light was showing in the
background, people generally
felt less pain than if the red light
was on in the background. This
experiment shows that with exactly
the same cold or harm input, but
with a change in the environment
(blue light versus red light) there
could be a change in the output,
pain. In other words, pain is not
just the result of the inputs from
damaged tissues, it is the result
of a wide variety of inputs, of
which one input is harm or danger
signals.
Phantom
Pain
Phantom
limb
pain
By Emilija
Tanner
Sandeep
Gupta
Phantom limb pain (PLP)
is common in the amputee
population. Studies suggest that
up to 80% of amputees feel PLP.
The pain felt, can vary considerably
between people, from a dull
ache to a shooting, stabbing or
electrical pain. This pain can last
seconds or even hours. What one
amputee may feel is different from
another amputee. That is, no two
amputees will feel the same PLP.
From this article, it is hoped that
you gain a better understanding
of the causes of PLP. Particularly
with respect to how the nervous
system changes or adapts after
amputation. Please note that each
amputee will be different in how
their nervous system adapts, and
hence the type and duration of
pain they feel.
To understand PLP, you need to
have some understanding of the
nervous system. The nervous
system comprises receptors and
nerves that respond to different
levels of input. For example, the
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nerves and their linked receptors
will respond differently to different
levels of touch (light or firm),
vibration, hot and cold, light (think
of bright sunshine or moonlight),
different colours, ambient
temperature (think of shivering
when cold or sweating when
hot), blood pressure, heart rate,
movement and exercise. There
are receptors and their nerves that
respond to more inputs than the
list above.
Interestingly, there are no receptors
or nerves specifically for pain.
There are receptors which are
activated when you are about to
cause damage to soft tissues or
once damage has occurred. An
example of this is putting your
hand under hot water. If the water
is too hot, your harm or danger
receptors will be activated to
cause you to move your hand out
of the water or turn the hot water
down (or the cold water up). Once
harm or danger receptors and their
corresponding nerves are activated
they transmit signals to your spinal
cord (in your back or neck). In the
spinal cord the brain has the ability
to stop these signals or if there
is sufficient stimulus, to activate
another nerve for the signal to
travel upwards towards your brain.
If the nerve signal reaches your
brain, it may be interpreted as
pain.
In the above paragraph, words like
may or might were used. This is
because your brain takes inputs
from the receptors and nerve
signals of the injured area, as well
as from the environment around
you and uses these inputs to judge
how much harm or damage has
occurred and give you an output,
in this case how much or little pain
you feel. To illustrate this point an
experiment was conducted where
they put a very cold metal object
on a person’s hand to cause a
harmful sensation. The person
was not told how cold the object
was, but the temperature remained
the same. In the background,
a blue or a red light was shown
at the same time the cold metal
Other studies have also shown
that colour can alter how reactive
the body is to different inputs.
In placebo studies, blue sugar
pills work better than sugar pills
of other colours at reducing
pain. Interestingly, in relationship
studies with couples, red rooms
lead to more disagreements and
arguments than blue rooms. The
reactivity of our bodies suggests
there is an area of our brain which
acts like a volume dial, to decrease
or stop the signal for your nerves
reaching your brain. In the case of
colour, red turns up the volume dial
to allow more signals though and
hence more pain is felt. Whereas
blue turns the volume dial down
to stop signals getting to the brain
and hence less pain is felt. This
area uses the inputs the brain
receives to make a very quick
judgment on how much harm has
occurred or how much danger we
are in. If our brain perceives more
harm, it will allow more signals up
to the brain and hence turn the
volume dial up.
To illustrate this point, if you kick
your foot against a wall, it may
stimulate harm receptors and
nerves to send a signal to your
brain to let you know that there
may be some damage to your foot.
• If you are wearing closed in
shoes and you kicked the
wall gently, then the volume
dial would be turned down
in your brain to tell you
everything is okay, and you
will quickly forget you kicked
the wall.
• If you kicked the wall harder,
such that more receptors
and nerves were stimulated,
you might stop because
the volume dial has been
turned up, move your toes
and your foot around and
put weight through your
foot. If you could move your
foot and toes without much
discomfort or you could
weight bear through your
foot (the volume dial turns
down), your brain will tell you
everything is okay and you
will worry less about your
foot.
• If on the other hand you tried
moving your toes, and this
cause’s the harm receptors
and nerves to keep sending
nerve signals, the volume
dial is turned up and stays
up to tell the brain something
is wrong; you might take
your shoe off to look at your
foot. If there was minimal
swelling you may not worry
as much as if your toes are
very swollen, or your toe(s)
are suddenly crooked.
The last example above highlights
the fact that your brain takes
inputs from different places. In
this case your vision. You see your
toes are crooked and this does not
involve harm or danger receptors
in your foot. If you see swelling,
bruising, blood or your body part
facing the wrong direction it tells
your brain something is wrong,
and as a result the volume dial
gets turned up and you are more
likely to feel pain.
This volume dial can also be
altered depending on the inputs
from environment in which the
injury occurs. If people near you
are concerned with your injury,
you are likely to feel more pain. Or
if you think of Sam Burgess with
the broken cheekbone and Gary
Ayres with a broken jaw in winning
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grandfinals- the volume dial would
be turned down and they probably
felt less pain then if they had
lost the grandfinal with the same
injury. The euphoria in winning
a grandfinal causes your body’s
happy chemicals (endorphins) to
be released. These chemicals turn
the volume dial down. As a result,
the circumstances in which you
injured yourself can have an impact
on the volume dial and hence the
pain you feel. While childbirth is
not exactly the same, it is probably
a good example of this. Something
good coming out of a painful
situation, although when your child
was a teenager, you may have
thought otherwise!
There are a number of different
studies that have investigated our
beliefs and the impact beliefs can
have on the pain people feel. One
such study had patients connected
to morphine infusion after surgery.
•
The people conducting
the study told patients the
morphine infusion was turned
on, when it was not turned
on and asked the patients
what their pain rating was.
The patients actually rated
their pain as lower by 1/10.
The belief that morphine will
decrease their pain results in
a decrease in the volume dial
even though the morphine
was not acting to decrease
pain.
• When the patients were told
the infusion was on, and it
was actually turned on, they
rated their pain was lower by
3/10. The volume dial was
turned down more.
• When the infusion was on
for a while, the infusion was
turned off without the patients
knowing. When asked to rate
their pain, they said their pain
was no different. The belief
that the morphine was on to
help their pain even though
it was switched off resulted
in the volume dial remaining
turned down.
8
• When the infusion was turned
off and patients were told
the infusion was switched off
and patients said their pain
increased by 5/10. The belief
that without the morphine
infusion they would feel pain,
hence the volume dial was
turned up.
The above study, while possibly
a little unethical, does highlight
how important beliefs can be with
respect to pain that is experienced
by an individual.
While pain, when you first injure
yourself or have surgery, is normal.
The ability to feel pain when tissues
are damaged is important for us
to survive. That said, the amount
of pain felt is dependent on the
different inputs your brain receives
and how much this changes your
brain’s volume dial. All of the input
is then converted into an output.
If the brain perceives from all this
input that there is harm or danger,
it will result in pain.
In PLP, the nervous system
changes, it adapts to allow more
receptors and nerves to be
stimulated and generate more
harm or danger nerve signals, the
volume dial is turned up and stays
turned up, and more areas of the
brain feed input to the danger
signals. As a result, the brain
believes there is danger or harm in
the tissues when there is actually
very little damage occurring in the
tissues. This adaption or maladaption of the nervous system will
be explored in greater detail in the
next few paragraphs.
Normally, a nerve should only be
stimulated at the receptor. The
receptor has “gates” which allow
sodium and potassium to move
through these gates. When an
amputation occurs, the nerve is
cut, and there are no receptors
at the end of the nerve. Over
time the cut nerve grows a little,
sometimes it grows into a ball,
called a neuroma. On the neuroma
gates are laid down, sometimes
this can happen along the nerve
too. This allows the nerve to
be stimulated at gates on the
neuroma or even at the gates
along the length of the nerve.
As there are more gates, it is
easier to generate a nerve signal
even though there is very little
damage to the tissues. In some
cases, the gates can change in
what they react to. The gates
may start reacting to a chemical
that is associated with the fight
or flight response. This chemical
is called adrenaline. The nerves
in your residual limb become
more reactive and the nerves can
change what they start reacting
to. This reactivity does not have to
involve any tissue damage.
Earlier, we talked about the volume
dial in the brain. Usually, this
volume dial acts to stop, or inhibit,
the harm or danger message at
the spinal cord, so that it does not
travel upward toward the brain. For
every harm or danger nerve, there
are 400-900 nerves from the brain
to stop, or inhibit, the nerve signal
in the spinal cord. However, in PLP,
there is often a belief that, because
of pain, there is some harm or
danger occurring, the volume dial
gets turned up. This switches off
inhibitory nerves from the brain
and allows nerve signal to travel
upwards to the brain.
In some amputees, the increase in
the volume dial results in changes
in the connections between nerves
in the spinal cord. Such that nerves
carrying light touch connect with
nerves carrying harm or danger
messages. This results in the brain
interpreting light touch as pain. In
addition, there are nerves which
are normally inactive, or dormant.
With an increase in the volume dial
these dormant nerves become
active. Some of the dormant
nerves connect to levels above
or below the usual nerves that
connect to that part of the body.
The activation of these dormant
nerves results in a sensation of the
pain spreading on the phantom
limb.
Studies looking at brain activation
in amputees with PLP show that
there are more areas of the brain
that are active. In PLP the areas
of the brain that become more
active are the areas relating to
memory and emotions. So your
past experiences and what you felt
with previous episodes of phantom
limb pain become inputs into the
signals that your brain is receiving.
These emotional inputs are very
strong and result in the brain
keeping the volume dial turned
up. There are areas of your brain
that represent your body parts
and even the space surrounding
those body parts. In people
with PLP the areas representing
your amputated limb and nonamputated limb changes. These
changes mean that your ability to
discriminate between left and right
is poorer.
volume down so the pain is
more manageable
• If you have a neuroma that is
causing PLP, an injection of
local anaesthetic may help
for a few hours to several
months.
• If you have a prosthesis,
wearing and using it for
greater than 8 hours a day
has been linked with no or
lower PLP than wearing a
prosthesis for less than 8
hours.
• Graded motor imagery has
been shown in a small study
to aid in nerve related pain.
People with nerve related
pain are worse at telling left
and right limbs apart.
• Tricking the brain by using
a mirrored image of your
intact limb while moving your
phantom limb may aid in
decreasing PLP
Sandeep Gupta is a
physiotherapist, currently
on secondment at Balmain
Hospital. He works at the
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
where he has specialised in
rehabilitation for the past 14
years. He has an interest in
chronic and complex pain,
particularly phantom limb
pain.
To sum up, in PLP the brain turns
and keeps the volume turned up.
All inputs from the nerves, the
spinal cord and within the brain act
to increase in volume.
Treatments that can aid in turning
the volume down involve trying
to decrease the reactivity of
the nervous system. These can
include:
• Understanding your nervous
system has become more
reactive and this is the main
cause of PLP has been
shown to aid in decreasing
pain.
• Thinking your pain is terrible
or only focusing on your pain
when your function or ability
to use your limb or prosthesis
has improved turns the
volume up. This forms a habit
where negative thoughts or
emotions maintain or worsen
your pain. Changing negative
thoughts requires effort and
a seeing a psychologist to
teach you techniques to
recognize and change these
thoughts.
• Medications such as lyrica
and endep do not abolish
PLP, they aid in turning the
9
SMOOTH • FLEXIBLE • WATERPROOF • VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE • NO REPAIRS
the same symptoms came back
and I returned to my surgeon.
After numerous tests I was told
that there was a problem and that
I would need further surgery. The
surgeon found out that the knee
was infected; he removed it and
decided to leave it out for a period
of six weeks. I was then taken
back to theatre and the third knee
replacement was put in.
Pain free,
finally!
Liz Healy
www.rushfoot.com
OPC HEALTH
www.opchealth.com.au
Distributed in Australia by OPC Health
T: 1800 809 635
[email protected]
Many amputees experience pain;
phantom pain, nerve pain and
general pain. For some this pain
is chronic, for others the pain
subsides over time. In the case
of Liz Healy she took action of
a different kind in an attempt to
relieve her pain once and for all.
Liz shares her personal insight
of losing her leg, the pain that
followed and the ground breaking
surgery which finally gave her a
‘pain free’ life.
I was so hopeful that this was
going to be the end; but no, the
pain returned. I was then sent to
see a doctor that specialised in
pain management. He put me
on strong morphine-based pain
killers. I continued to take this
medication for a number of years
but was still plagued by the fact
that no one could find a solution to
the problem. I felt like my life was
disappearing before my eyes. I was
losing weight. I had gone from 60
kilos to 40 kilos and had no quality
of life. Finally, in 2010, I decided to
have my left leg amputated above
the knee.
The surgery went well and my
recovery was good. I got my
prosthesis and finally went home
after many weeks of rehab. Things
were going along well until I began
to develop ulcers which were
caused by pleats on the skin on
my stump. I thought this nightmare
would never end. I returned to
the surgeon who told me that the
problem could be fixed. After two
attempted surgeries I was referred
to a plastic surgeon.
In the year 2000 I had a fall and
damaged my left knee. This
resulted in a knee replacement.
Problems arose a few months
after. I found that it had become
loose and the internal knee needed
to be replaced. I had surgery, the
replacement was done and I didn’t
think much more about. I did all of
the physiotherapy and exercises
required and pretty much got on
with my life.
This latest operation went well
and I went back to wearing my
prosthesis. Shortly after and to my
horror, I started getting what can
best be described as nerve pain.
I returned to the surgeon to be
told that I had a neuroma (growth
of the nerve tissue) and that with
further surgery he could re-direct
the sciatic nerve. I went ahead with
this surgery in hope that it would
be the last procedure and that I
would finally be pain free.
Approximately sixteen months
following the second replacement
The news I received from the
surgeon was not good and I finally
accepted the fact that I would live
a life of pain.
It wasn’t long after that I heard of
Dr Phillip Cornish a pain specialist.
I called to make an appointment.
Dr Cornish’s work involved the
surgical implant of a stimulator.
Initially the procedure was a six
week trial to see if it made any
difference and then, if successful, I
would have a permanent implant.
This implant had the most
incredible results. For the first time
in fifteen years, I was pain free. I
wanted to share my story because
I think it’s important for amputees
to know what is available. Living
with pain is debilitating and quality
of life is non-existent. While I realise
this may not work for everyone,
the outcome for me has been
incredible. Now all that is needed
is someone to create a prosthetic
socket that will not affect the
placement of the wires and enable
me to walk again.
For the time being I am content
using a wheelchair and not having
constant pain.
For more information about the
work of Dr Phillip Cornish go to
www.specialisedpainmedicine.
com.au
Liz is an active member of the
South Australia Peer Support
Volunteer Team
If you would like to find out
more information about the
Limbs 4 Life Volunteer Peer
Support Program visit
www.limbs4life.org.au
or call toll free
1300 782 231
11
Move Naturally
Accessible action
Amanda Lawrie-Jones
In remembering the first time I was
faced with losing a limb, I was only
the young age of 15. In running
for a school bus, I fell and severely
twisted my ankle. For most active
teenagers, twisting an ankle does
not usually propel into the severity
of a possible amputation.
However, a few years earlier I had
been diagnosed with Scleroderma
– an autoimmune disease.
Scleroderma can take many forms.
Like most autoimmune diseases
the symptoms vary from person
to person and for me, the main
effect was with the thickening and
tightening of the skin.
If you can imagine a swollen ankle,
the fluid trying its best to stay
inside the bursting skin, it could
only hold for so long. It felt like I
was in a science fiction movie, as
over time I felt the skin splitting
away like something wanted to
come out. The intensity of the
wound caused severe Ghan
Green, which led to a visit to a City
Hospital in order to save my leg.
12
continued on my legs for more
than 25 years. It became a
repetitive cycle of surgery after
surgery and skin graft after skin
graft. Amongst all of this, recurring
and severe infections were
common as well as many a long
stay in hospital. As most of us
already know, damaged cells after
accumulative scarring can cause
cancer.
My first Squamous Cell Carcinoma
(SCC) was back in 2000, and
again a near miss on amputation
occurred. Going in for my surgery,
it was clear – you may wake up
with a leg, or you may not. Again,
the leg was saved.
After repeated SCC’s, with even
more surgeries and skin grafts, in
2006 I made the difficult decision
to have my left leg amputated. For
me, this truly was third time lucky.
Lucky for me, this time around the
leg was saved.
Life went on with some minor
adjustments, but all in all things
were going along pretty cruisy
– until 2011. It was yet another
rough year of skin breakages,
SCC’s, infections and surgeries –
this time on my right foot.
Due to the added complexities of
Scleroderma, repeated wounds
Ah – it was simple, a real nobrainer. In 2012, I approached
my surgeon with the “please take
it off?” question. I remember it
clearly. It was a Wednesday. He
left the surgery office and came
back with – “I can do it on Friday?”
Whoa – I’m ready, but not THAT
ready!
In life, there is only so much one
can tolerate. Making the decision
to have my legs amputated was
one of the best things I have ever
done in my life. It has opened up
new and exciting experiences
– the simple things like wearing
matching off the shelf shoes,
dresses, skirts and even going
swimming without the daunting
consequence of infection.
Today, accessibility is my mantra.
I work as an Accessibility
Consultant, with the aim to build
awareness on disability and
accessibility. My passions lie in
creating social change for people
with disability. Whether it is from
a policy or process perspective,
or shifting mindsets in order to
breakdown barriers and influence
people to think differently about
disability – we all need to take
action.
Visit Amandas blog
www.accessibleaction.com
“THIS IS MY LEG.
IT IS COMPLETELY
IN SYNC WITH ME”.
S AV E
THE
D AT E
ÖSSUR MOBILITY CLINIC
SEPTEMBER 28th - 29th
Proudly partnering with Limbs 4 Life, Össur presents a 2-day
Mobility Clinic designed for amputees of all ages and activity
levels for a truly unique experience where they improved their
overall mobility while connecting with other amputees.
Renowned expert in amputee running and training,
Professor Robert Gailey PhD, PT will teach amputee
attendees how to walk and run like a champion or simply
improve multi-directional mobility.
Join us at St. Laurences College, Brisbane
and learn:
• Techniques to maximise prosthetic capabilities
• Leg-over-leg running mechanics
• Proper methods for improving speed and balance
• How to move in multiple directions for a variety
of recreational activities
FOLLOW ÖSSUR ON
• Training routines and sport-specific exercises
WWW.OSSUR.COM.AU
TEL +61 2 8838 2800
FAX +61 2 9630 5310
[email protected]
SCAN NOW &
REGISTER YOUR
INTEREST!
MISMATCHED FEET
importance of foot healthcare; the
differences between prosthetic
socket manufacturing; the benefits
of amputee peer support; and,
tips on dealing with and managing
Diabetes.
Exhibitors at the event included
Limbs 4 Life, Queensland Amputee
Family Support Group, Ottobock,
Ossur, OPC, Freedom Innovations
and members from locally
based prosthetic manufacturing
companies.
Limbs 4 Life thanks Queensland
Health for the opportunity to
present at this important Amputee
Forum.
Pictured: Keynote speaker Matthew Ames
with QLD Artificial Limb Scheme (QALS)
Manager Debra Berg
The Federal Government
launches new online
resource for people with
disability
NO PROBLEM WITH...
OVER 60% OF THE
POPULATION HAVE
DIFFERENT SIZED FEET
A new initiative to help people with disability access
advocacy services was launched this month by the
Federal Government.
The National Disability Advocacy Programme (NDAP)
have developed and launched a ‘Provider Finder’.
The NDAP gives Australians with disability access
to disability advocacy services that work to promote
their rights and improve their ability to participate in
the community.
The quick and easy to use NDAP ‘Provider Finder’
is an online resource that will assist people with
disability find the right person to help them access the
supports they need. It allows searching by location
or type of advocacy service. The Provider Finder
displays details on each advocacy service as well as
their location and directions to find them. The 59 National Disability Advocacy Programme
agencies across Australia ensure there are advocates
located in every state and territory, and there are
different kinds of advocacy available depending on
individual circumstances. Amputees Come Together for
Brisbane Forum
More than 150 amputees attended
the Queensland Amputee Forum
at the Brisbane Convention and
Exhibition Centre in March. The
Forum was hosted by Queensland
Health and supported by
prosthetic componentry suppliers
and representatives from local and
national amputee support groups.
The event, which combined
presentations with an expo,
exceeded the expectations of all
delegates who were in attendance.
Matthew Ames opened the forum
delivering an insightful and moving
keynote presentation. Matthew
14
outlined his experience of living
with limb loss, as well as providing
the audience with a moving
account of his journey and goals
for the future.
Other presentations during
the course of the event
included information about: the
Osseointegration surgical process;
pain and pain management;
prosthetic liner care and hygiene
management; the National
Disability Insurance Scheme
(NDIS) and how it will support
people living with disability in
Queensland; podiatry and the
CREST
Tell us your story
Limbs 4 Life is seeking amputees
and family members to share
your experience of living with
limb loss. The stories will
be featured in our quarterly
publication amplified. You don’t
have to be an experienced writer
to contribute, we can help you
bring your story to life. To find
out more send an email to
[email protected]
Phone: 1300 782 231
For more information visit
www.dss.gov.au/NDAPfinder
www.ascentfootwear.com.au
Exclusive to
Become a
Peer Support
Volunteer
Have you
considered
becoming a
peer support
volunteer?
Limbs 4 Life is seeking amputees
Australia-wide to become Peer
Support Volunteers. Peers are people
who have lived with limb loss for a
number of years and have successfully
adapted to changes and regained their
independence.
As a Limbs 4 Life Peer Support Volunteer
you are offered comprehensive training
and ongoing support.
you can HELP
make a difference
For more information and to
register your interest phone:
1300 782 231 or email
[email protected]
Disclaimer: Information and articles contained in e-news are intended to present useful and accurate information of a general nature but it is not intended to be a substitute
for legal or medical advice. Limbs 4 Life endeavours to ensure all articles contained are correct. Limbs 4 Life does not endorse any specific technology, company or device.
Consumers are advised to consult with their healthcare providers before making any decisions involving their care or that of a family member.
ABN: 25116 424461 A0046472T
© Limbs 4 Life Inc. Limbs 4 Life
Phone: 1300 782 231
Email: [email protected]
www.limbs4life.org.au