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September 2014

"Freedom Customized"

Amy is Inspiring!

From The Huffington Post online.

photo credit Jerrod Harris via Getty Images

Our hats are off to Amy Purdy for proudly showing off her prosthetics on the red carpet.

The 2014 Team USA Paralympic bronze medalist proudly paired a minidress with her prosthetic legs Thursday night at the OK! TV Awards Party in Los Angeles, an inspiring choice her fans can't stop calling "beautiful" on social media.

Purdy, a 34-year-old pro snowboarder who also appeared on season 18 of "Dancing With the Stars," lost both of her legs at the age of 19 following a battle with bacterial meningitis.

Doctors gave Purdy a "less than 2 percent chance" of surviving the infection, whichput her in a coma for nearly three weeks and also took her spleen, the hearing in her left ear and her kidneys. She ultimately persevered and returned to snowboarding, but only after building her own prosthetics, because snowboarding-specific ones didn't exist at the time.

Purdy returned to the hospital again a week before her 21st birthday for an organ transplant -- a kidney donated by her father. As before, she recovered and returned to physical activity, co-founding Adaptive Action Sports, a group dedicated to helping individuals with physical disabilities participate in action sports.

Ask the Prosthetist

Alex Lyons, CPO

Q. Alex, are there any workout videos specifically designed for amputees? I'm having a tough time staying in shape!

A. There sure are. The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) has a whole series of videos on youtube.

Here are a couple you might be interested in.
Get Your Groove on for a Healthy Heart
Advanced Circuit Exercises
Exercises for Amputees

Have a question for Alex? Email us.

Study shows racial disparities in post-stroke functional independence

From the O&P Business News online.

Researchers found racial disparities in reported functional independence for patients after a stroke, according to recently published results.

Charles Ellis, PhD, from the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at East Carolina University, and colleagues from the Medical University of South Carolina, surveyed a group of 162 stroke survivors at 1 year after stroke. Overall, 106 patients were white and 56 patients were black. The survey's 20 questions measured activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) performance, life participation and driving....

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Goat-inspired prosthetic leg will give rock climbers better footing

From engadget.com online.

For all the neural-controlled, bluetooth-enabled and sport-specific prosthetics humanity has designed over the years, one thing remains constant: most of of them are lousy for climbing rock faces. Design student Kai Lin learned this while researching artificial limbs in a prosthetic-design class at Pratt Institute -- traditional leg prosthetics don't have enough grip or articulation to facilitate effective climbing. Lin's solution to the problem is almost elegant in its simplicity. He designed a prosthetic leg inspired by one of nature's best rock climbers: the mountain goat.

Why a goat? Well, aside from the amazing YouTube videos one can find of the creaturesscaling near vertical rock faces, Lin found that the cupped surface of the goat's hooves create natural suction on hard surfaces. Better still, the hard outer shell gives the animals stable footing on steep rocks. Inspired by the hoof, Lin created three prototype stilts to help him refine the footing for his prosthetic design, eventually settling on a mid-sized foot with a hoof-like sole.

Who We Are

Alexander Lyons, CPO and Staff

Lyons Prosthetics & Orthotics promotes the well being of people who have amputations, orthopedic injuries, and disabilities by custom designing state of the art artificial limbs and braces.

We pride ourselves in our ability to actively listen to each person's unique needs and apply cutting edge technology to meet those needs.

Our clinical staff is highly skilled in prosthetic and orthotic designs including advanced microprocessors and high performance limbs for athletes-these are just a few of the specialty areas we collaborate on to achieve the best possible results for you or your patient. So whether you wish to compete on a national level or just want to go grocery shopping, we have the experience, compassion and expertise to help.

If you have any questions, comment, concerns or would like a consultation, please dall the office at 843-347-5800 or click on the link below to:
Email Us

Calendar

September 27, 2014
JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes
Myrtle Beach, SC

October 3-4, 2014
NC/SC AAOP
Charlotte, NC

February 18-21, 2015
AAOP
New Orleans, LA