Redondo beach, ca – June 18, 2010 – Advanced Arm Dynamics
(AAD), the nation’s leading provider of upper extremity prosthetic
rehabilitation services, announces the promotion of James (Jamie) Vandersea,
CPO, to clinical manager of AAD’s upper extremity prosthetics team at Walter
Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC).
Vandersea
became a clinical specialist on the AAD upper extremity team at WRAMC in July
2009. Prior to that time he worked with a prosthetic and orthotic firm in
Portland, Maine, and had also worked as an upper extremity specialist in the
NovaCare Upper Extremity Prosthetic Program.
“Mr.
Vandersea has been a strong member of our WRAMC team,” said John Miguelez, AAD’s
president and senior clinical director. “He is ready to take on a broader
leadership role in the prosthetic care we provide to military personnel wounded
in combat.”
Advanced
Arm Dynamics (AAD) is focused on empowering patients to return to work and lead
active lifestyles.Their comprehensive
approach to prosthetic care begins with evaluation and fitting, and continues
throughout the rehabilitation process. The company’s services include
state-of-the art technologies and techniques, rehabilitation planning,
insurance authorization/negotiation, occupational therapy, psychological counseling,
and a patient-to-patient mentoring program. AAD centers of excellence
facilities are located in Texas, Iowa and Oregon.
Advanced Arm Dynamics not only builds prosthetic
upper limbs, but helps its patients get their lives back to normal
By Nick Peterson
The Times, May 13, 2010
When you first see Chino Acosta, there is
nothing unusual that catches your eye — even if you know beforehand that
he is missing an arm.
Then you look him up and down, and you see it. His
left hand. It looks a little different, but only slightly. If it was his
right hand, you wouldn’t hesitate shaking it.
But it’s his left hand, and he can do some amazing
things with it.
Acosta has a dynamic arm — an electronic
prosthesis, created by Tigard’s Advanced Arm Dynamics — an arm that
helps him lead a fairly normal life.
And he likes it a lot.
“One of the things I like about it is for driving,”
Acosta says, making a motion like he’s holding onto a steering wheel
with his artificial hand. “Driving is really comfortable.”
Acosta lost his hand in a job-related accident six
years ago. After some reconstructive surgery that didn’t produce the
results he was hoping for, he decided to have his arm amputated just
below the elbow. Then he came to Advanced Arm Dynamics and they built
him the arm he now uses — a myoelectric prosthesis that has rotation at
the wrist and an open-close function for the hand. And it looks
surprisingly natural.
Acosta’s face lights up with a little, sly smile as
he rotates his hand 360 degrees — something those of us with natural
hands can’t do.
The “skin” on his prosthetic hand and forearm is
made of silicone and painted to match Acosta’s natural skin. The forearm
even has hair taken from his other arm embeded in it.
The only problem, Acosta jokes, is that in the
summertime it doesn’t tan like his real arm.
The hand looks uncannily real, right down to the
veins on the top of the hand and the fingernails — which, by the way,
never need clipping.
The movement of the hand is limited. It is fixed in
a cupped, gripping shape, looking like it’s constantly ready to grab
something. Besides the unlimited rotation, its basic movement is to open
and close.
Those movements are controlled by the flexing of
two basic muscles in Acosta’s forearm. The twitching of one muscle
causes the hand to open and the twitching of another muscle causes it to
close. A quick flexing of respective muscles causes the hand to rotate
one way or the other.
Acosta said learning to use the arm was relatively
easy and only took a couple of weeks. Training begins with a computer
program that uses myotraining and simulation software to virtually
imitate the movement of the prosthetic hand.
“Before they even think about making you this,” he
says, motioning toward his prosthetic arm, “they train you on the
computer. By the time you get this, you just put it on, and no problem.”
Getting back to normal
Mac Lang, the clinical director and prosthetist of
the Adavanced Arm Dynamics Northwest Center of Excellence in Tigard,
says the company exclusively specializes in upper limb prosthetics. And
one of the things that sets the company apart from other prosthetic
providers is its emphasis on long-term rehabilitation.
“We provide the prosthesis, but we also provide the
rehabilitation for the patient to work that prosthesis into their
everyday life,” says Lang.
The clinic’s occupational therapy room is equipped
with various real-life objects which patients can train on to get used
to using their limb.
“Something as simple as stacking cones may not be
exciting or fun, and they often get tired of doing it here 100 times,”
Lang said. “Then they go out to Starbucks and have to pick up a cup of
coffee and because they’ve done it here 100 times, it takes the anxiety
away of having to do it in public in an uncontrolled setting.”
Lang says a typical patient for them is one who,
like Acosta, lost a limb in a job-related accident.
I recently had the unique opportunity to travel
down to Guadalajara to participate in the first annual International
Forum on Biomedical Engineering
at the Tecnológico de Monterrey campus Guadalajara. I have known the
Director of the Biomedical
Engineering department, Dr. Misael Caballero, for the past four
years. In 2006, we had the opportunity to collaborate together on a
prosthetic case involving a patient who sustained wrist disarticulation
amputations on both her right and left arm. Earlier
this year Dr. Caballero invited me to speak at this conference on the
topic of Advancements in Upper Limb Prosthetic Technology. And although
my Spanish is pretty non-existent, I decided this would be an excellent
opportunity to teach about our field and
provide exposure to not only the advancements in technologies but also
the advancements that have been made in therapy and psychosocial
considerations for those patients dealing with an upper limb amputation.
So, my tickets were purchased and I was on my way
for this adventure. My past experience with Mexico involved beaches and
margaritas so I was unsure of what to expect going to Guadalajara.
Upon my arrival, I met with Dr. Caballero and
one of his students, Ana HeRay and was taken to my hotel. On the ride
to the hotel, I was informed that I would be the first speaker and that I
should be prepared for around 100 participants. Once at the hotel I
was able to put my finishing touches on the
presentation for the next morning.
The next day, Ana picked me up to take me to the
University. Once there, I was given a tour of the exhibit hall which
included approximately 15 vendors from various aspects of the health field including
such companies as Arthrex and Stryker.
Dr. Caballero personally introduced me to the representatives from each
of these companies. I quickly realized that the entire conference was
student driven and on a very high level! I was incredibly impressed by
the professionalism of the student workers
and by the overall feel of the conference.
It was then off to get prepared for the opening
ceremonies and the presentation at 10:00 sharp. Some very influential
people were in attendance including the president of the university and
the Minster of Health for the county of Jalisco.
The venue for the meeting was an outdoor gymnasium that held
approximately 1,000 chairs. Five 40” LCD screens were positioned around
the audience as the main projector was unfortunately not bright enough
to show on the main screen. The presentation went
very well and we had approximately 900 + attendees during the lecture
which was amazing!
After lunch, Ana and another student by the name of
Eduardo gave me a tour around the campus. I have a new appreciation
for what the field of biomedical engineering means in Mexico and I am hopeful
that a few of the students will be interested
enough to consider the field of upper limb prosthetics as a career that they
can bring to Mexico. We had a Gala dinner that evening which included
lectures by Intel on their venture into Guadalajara.
The next day was full of more lectures
(unfortunately in Spanish which did not bode well for this Texan!) as
well as a repeat lecture from me to those students that were not able to
attend the original lecture. It was then off to the airport
for a quick flight back to Dallas.
I truly enjoyed my time in Guadalajara and was very
impressed by the hospitality of the students and Dr. Caballero. I am
looking forward to this becoming a common conference that we can be a
part of in the future and hope that we can help
influence the career choices of some of these students as they begin to
understand the nature of prosthetics and how it relates to their
degree. This was an excellent opportunity to showcase the philosophy of
Advanced Arm Dynamics and I am grateful to Dr.
Caballero for his invitation to participate in this event.
Rob Dodson, C.P.O., L.P.O. Upper Extremity Specialist Advanced Arm Dynamics
ERIC JONES sat in a middle seat on a recent flight from the New York area to Florida, but he wasn’t complaining. Instead, he was quietly enjoying actions that many other people might take for granted, like taking a cup of coffee from the flight attendant or changing the channel on his video monitor. These simple movements were lost to Mr. Jones when the fingers and thumb on his right hand were amputated three years ago. But now he has a prosthetic replacement: a set of motorized digits that can clasp cans, flimsy plastic water bottles or even thin slips of paper.
“Pouring a can of soda into a cup — that is a mundane daily action for most people, but to me it is a very big deal,” said Mr. Jones, who lives with his family in Mamaroneck, N.Y. “I slip my bionic fingers on like a glove, and then I have five moveable fingers to grasp things. It’s wonderful to have regained these functions.”
Mr. Jones’s prosthesis, called ProDigits, is made by Touch Bionics in Livingston, Scotland. The device can replace any or all fingers on a hand; each replacement digit has a tiny motor and gear box mounted at the base. Movement is controlled by a computer chip in the prosthesis.
ProDigits was released commercially last December, said Stuart Mead, the chief executive of Touch Bionics. About 60 patients have been fitted worldwide, he said, and some have been wearing it for three or four years. The cost is $60,000 to $75,000, including fitting and occupational therapy.
The technology used by Touch Bionics is based on prostheses that the National Health Service in Scotland developed for children there who suffered effects of the drug thalidomide, he said. The company, founded in 2003 as a spin-off from the health service, adapted the technology from custom prostheses into ones that could be produced commercially. It had funding from investors including Archangel Informal Investment and the Scottish Co-investment Fund.
The company’s first product, released two and a half years ago, was the i-Limb Hand, an entire hand that opens and closes and can grasp objects. It has been a success, Mr. Mead said, with more than 1,200 patients fitted with it in 40 countries.
The company then turned to creating ProDigits. “We decided to develop the technology to mechanize not just a hand, but individual fingers,” he said. “We always knew that it would be the bigger market — more people lose individual digits than lose entire hands — but also the most challenging technically."
The individual, motorized fingers are a new and promising development in the field, made possible in part by miniaturization of components, said John Miguelez, founder and president of Advanced Arm Dynamics of Redondo Beach, Calif. The company specializes in prosthetics for hands and arms for, among others, soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington. “More voltage and current can be applied to the motors,” he said, “creating increased speed and force.”
Dr. Douglas G. Smith, a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, agreed. “Motors are getting stronger and smaller, and the batteries are thinner and smaller, too,” he said, making it possible to fit mechanical components into the space formerly occupied by a finger.
Eric Jones has been wearing a ProDigits prosthetic for 18 months. The artificial fingers are slightly larger than the originals, but that is not a problem, he said. “The fingers look cool,” he said. A switch on the side turns the power on and off, and he charges the digits overnight, as he would a cellphone
Mr. Jones starts the action by flexing or relaxing a muscle in the palm of his hand. Sensors built into the prosthesis pick up the signals sent by the muscles and send the message to the computer chip that controls the motor. The artificial fingers stop closing when they detect resistance, said Karl Lindborg, professional services director for Touch Bionics.
A single, outstretched prosthetic finger can operate a microwave oven or a cellphone; a finger and a thumb can hold a chess piece; three or more fingers can grasp a sphere. Mr. Jones said the fingers also provided a touch of class. “I can grasp a wine glass with my bionic fingers,” he said. “My pinkie and ring finger curve under the bowl very elegantly.”
PRODIGITS may be opened and closed not only by sensors that pick up muscle contractions, but also by dime-size pads put at the base of the fingers to detect pressure exerted by remnant bone. “If you can wiggle the bones in your palm, Mr. Miguelez explained, “that wiggle can be translated into controls to open and close the fingers.”
Robert J. Green of Bel Air, Md., who lost the fingers and thumb on his dominant left hand last year, operates his ProDigits in just that way. He uses his prosthetic fingers, for example, to write with a pen or a pencil. The artificial digits have actually improved his handwriting, he said, and he likes their appearance, too. “I look something like Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘The Terminator,’ ” he said.
IRVING,
TX–
October 5, 2009 – The southwest clinical director at Advanced Arm Dynamics Center of
Excellence in Texas, Chris Lake, C.P.O., F.A.O.O.P. has been accepted to the
PhD program at the University of Strathclyde, National Centre for Prosthetics
and Orthotics.Mr. Lake’s upper limb
prosthetic focused research will be performed locally at the Southwest Center
and in conjunction with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Mr.
Lake’s PhD work at the University will highlight upper extremity prosthetics
and partial hand electronics.
“This research in the upper extremity field is exciting for
me as the results could impact many upper limb amputees worldwide,” said Chris
Lake.“ Every year there are approximately 17,000 partial hand
amputations that occur from trauma, disease or congenitally and down the road,
this research could make a substantial difference.The vast amount of prosthetic research is
focused on the 10% of the upper limb population that presents with limb loss
above the wrist.This research focuses
on the other 90% with limb loss below the wrist- with the hand.”
Established in 1972, the National Centre for Prosthetics and Orthotics is an
internationally-known provider of undergraduate training and education within
its field. The Centre provides vocationally-oriented courses to prosthetists
and orthotists and the related healthcare professions and is one of only three
institutions in the world offering a doctoral program in orthotics and
prosthetics.
“This is a
tremendous accomplishment,” said John Miguelez, founder and president of AAD.
“Mr. Lake’s involvement in research and development demonstrates his commitment
to the advancements of upper limb prosthetics rehabilitation care.”
I will be participating in the 16th annual San Diego Triathlon Challenge
(SDTC).
It will take place on Sunday, October 25, 2009 in La Jolla,
CA. I really can’t believe it will be my 6th year to do
this! It is truly an honor to participate in this event alongside so many
amazing and inspirational individuals year after year!
I
have not been very disciplined in my training so far this year, but hope to be
able to pull of the 13.1 mile run without too much soreness afterwards.
My teammate Trent will bike 56 (hilly) miles and teammate Vivian will do a 1.2
open water swim. All of this so we can raise money for the Challenged
Athletes Foundation (CAF) an incredible 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
To learn a little bit more about CAF, please click on this link or read the
email at the bottom of this email message.
Over
the past 16 years, this event has helped raise over $21 million to support over
4,000 challenged athletes (some examples include prosthetic running feet,
basketball wheelchairs, handcycles and professional coaching lessons).
My goal is to raise $2,500 this year so I can help support these athletes
achieve their dreams. If you are interested in making a donation please
click on either of the web site links below (one is my personal page and the
other is our team page). You can either make credit card donations online or
send a check/cash. Directions are provided...
Redondo Beach,
Ca– July 2009 – Advanced
Arm Dynamics (AAD), the nation’s leading provider of upper extremity
rehabilitation services announced the addition of its newest member to its
growing team of professionals, James vandersea,
CPO.
James (Jamie) vandersea,
CPO joins AAD as an upper extremity specialist.He will work with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center team providing upper
extremity care to military personnel wounded in combat.vandersea’s
previous experience included employment with a prosthetic and orthotic firm in
Portland, Maine along with acting as an upper extremity specialist at the
NovaCare Upper Extremity Prosthetic Program.
“Jamie is excited to return his focus to advanced upper
extremity rehabilitation services furthering AAD’s goals to bring “Life Within
Reach” for persons with upper extremity limb absence. It is an exciting
time for the organization as we continue to add talented individuals to the
team,” said John Miguelez, president and senior clinical director of AAD.
January 2009 – Advanced Arm Dynamics
(AAD), the nation’s leading provider of upper extremity prosthetic
rehabilitation announced the addition of a new member to its growing team of
professionals, Shawn Swanson, OTR/L.
Shawn
Swanson, OTR/L joins AAD as the national director of occupational therapy where
she will be applying her experience and knowledge to the ongoing development of
AAD’s treatment programs.Her focus will
be enhancing training protocols for patients in the use of upper extremity prosthetics
as part of AAD’s comprehensive treatment approach.
“Shawn’s
addition to the AAD team of professionals helps provide our patients with the
best possible rehabilitation care.We
know that prosthetic success rates improve dramatically when a training program
goes beyond basic operation and addresses specific needs that relate to each
patient,” said John Miguelez,CP, FAAOP founder and senior clinical director of
AAD.
With over ten years of prosthetic
therapy experience, Swanson was previously with Otto Bock Health Care in the
Professional and Clinical Services Department as a clinical specialist in upper
extremity prosthetics. She was also employed with The Institute for
Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) in Houston, TX, specializing in traumatic
neurological rehabilitation.
Her experience
includes clinical experiences as well as teaching introductory and advanced
courses in upper extremity prosthetic rehabilitation, working with the
rehabilitation teams at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
and Brooke Army Medical Center, presenting at
local, national and international conferences, and facilitating collaborative
efforts between prosthetists and therapists to improve functional outcomes for
their patients.
Chris and Rob will be speaking at the Texas Rehab Action
Network (TRAN) Conference on October 3rd in one of the breakout sessions from 1:30 to 2:30pm. The conference is at the
Hyatt Regency of Dallas at Reunion.
Texas RehabACTion Network (TRAN) is a non-profit
organization that promotes the public vocational rehabilitation program's
ability to provide employment services to persons with disabilities and
disability related solutions to the business community. TRAN works to foster effective partnerships
with state and national vocational rehabilitation programs, community
rehabilitation providers, other community resources, and universities to
promote research and expand knowledge of best practices in the field of
Vocational Rehab.
Patrick Prigge, CP joins AAD
as an upper extremity specialist focusing his efforts as the clinical upper
extremity specialist at AAD of the Midwest.
In addition, he will also spend time with the
Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) team based in Washington, DC providing care to American military personnel who
have suffered the loss of a limb in combat. Previously, Prigge worked as the Director of Prosthetics Education for
Otto Bock HealthCare in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
His
responsibilities included developing a team of prosthetists and occupational therapists
dedicated to bridging the gap through education between fitting highly advanced
new technologies by the prosthetist and full acceptance and usage by the end
user. He also had responsibility for education content and strategy and was involved
with product development. In addition to
his time with Otto Bock HealthCare, Pat’s work experience includes working as a
clinical prosthetist for both Hanger and Gillette Children’s Hospital.
He received his post graduate certificate as
a prosthetics technician and practitioner from Century College and earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Biomedical Science from St. Cloud State University.
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