Newsletters

On Monday, November 9th, Erik Schaffer, C.P. and Phil Kreuter, P.T. participated in the closing bell ceremony of the NASDAQ stock market. Erik and Phil were invited as guests of Ossur, Inc. Jon Sigurdsson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ossur, rang the closing bell to mark the company's tenth year of trading publicly on NASDAQ OMX Iceland, and also commemorate its new dual listing on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen. Representatives of Ossur’s senior management team from Iceland and the United States accompanied Mr. Sigurdsson at this event.

Suzanne Guacci (Above Knee) - formerly a Division I basketball player at Fairleigh Dickinson University, actress, and New York state trooper - is now a mother of four who has embarked on a new career as an independent filmmaker. Through her company Aspire Film Productions, a Long Island-based independent production company, Suzanne has produced three independent films that have been featured in local and national film festivals.

Suzanne's and Aspire Film Productions' latest ongoing project, Hope and Possibility, is a documentary on the lives of pediatric amputees. The film will highlight the competitive and recreational activities of the children through the programs of Junior Team A Step Ahead, culminating with the Achilles Track Club Hope & Possibility 5 mile race in Central Park in June, 2010. Hope and Possibility will document the lives of these children, focusing on pediatric amputees of all ages and disabilities, their prosthetic fittings, and their home, school, and social lives with an emphasis on the challenges faced by children with limb loss.

Suzanne's goals in this documentary are to bring to light the world of pediatric amputees, what it is like to navigate though this world for these children and their families, and to show that despite their physical disabilities, they can challenge themselves and excel in life. To read more about Aspire Film Productions and the filming of this documentary go to http://www.aspirefilmproductions.com/

John Tartaglio's recent appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show will be rebroadcast on December 24th at 4pm EST. John will be talking to Oprah about his progress since first appearing on Oprah in 2004 after his bilateral hip disarticulation amputations. The interview focuses on his professional and athletic goals as well as his fundraising efforts for ASPIRE.

Prosthetic technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. A Step Ahead leads the prosthetics industry by offering the most up-to-date, technologically-advanced prosthetics available. By working closely with the leading manufacturers in the prosthetics industry, we are now able to provide a unique opportunity for patients to evaluate the latest prosthetic components under the supervision of A Step Ahead's certified prosthetists.  

At our facility, you can now test-drive the full bionic platform from Ossur including the Rheo Knee, Proprio Foot and Ankle System, and the Power Knee. The bionic platform incorporates sophisticated artificial intelligence which learns the users gait pattern to provide an experience superior to traditional prosthetics. Or you can try Otto Bock's popular C-Leg, which utilizes microprocessor-controlled hydraulics that dynamically adapt to all walking speeds in real time. In addition, many types of running feet are available for the user to test.

A Step Ahead offers much more than lower-extremity prosthetics. Myoelectric upper-extremity components are also available for the user to try including the innovative I-Limb by Touch Bionics and the Sensor Speed hand by Otto Bock.

The future in prosthetics is looking bright, with ground-breaking research now being conducted in both osseointegration and neuro-bionics. A Step Ahead is proud to be working directly with the top physicians and manufacturers in these fields on developing the next generation of prosthetics.  

A Step Ahead is the industry forerunner in fitting and evaluating prosthetic components including micro-processor knees, foot and ankle systems, upper-extremity myoelectrics, and running feet. Our world-class facility also houses our experienced insurance department and legal team, which have a 98% success rate in winning insurance appeals that involve denial of prosthetic technology. Where others fail, we fight for patients' rights.
   
Call our office at 516-681-3484 to set up an appointment for a free consultation and to test drive the newest advances in prosthetic technology. 

Make sure that you try it before you buy it.

For more information on the newest technology in prosthetics, go to the following links:

http://www.ottobock.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3F574DD1-0360A40B/ob_com_en/hs.xsl/1913.html

http://www.ossur.com/?PageID=12729

http://www.touchbionics.com/i-LIMB

http://www.ossur.com/pages/13916

Proprio Foot and Ankle System	i-Limb by Touch Bionics	C-Leg Microprocessor Knee

Marcos Corti-Maderna (Below Knee) completed his first Ironman competition at Ironman Florida on November 7th. Marcos completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run in 13:41:21. Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee), who was participating in his 7th Ironman, set a personal record at Ironman Florida with a time of 11:28:43.

With Marcos' finish of Ironman Florida, Team A Step Ahead now has seven athletes who have challenged themselves to complete one of the toughest endurance races in the world. Marcos now joins Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee), Kelly Bruno (Below Knee), Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee), Paul Martin (Below Knee), Tommy Koehler (Below Knee) and Sarah Reinersten (Above Knee) as members of the elite team of triathletes that have completed an Ironman.

Jean Draper (Below Knee) was featured in a Galena Gazette article about her athletic accomplishments and her experience competing at the I.T.U. World Triathlon Championships in Australia:               http://www.galenagazette.com/main.asp?SectionID=142&SubSectionID=344&ArticleID=14469

On November 20th at the Ultra Centric ultramarathon in Flower Mound, Texas, Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee) ran 196 laps of the ½ mile course in 24:42 to complete her second 100 mile run in as many months.

Even when he is not running and with the next Olympic and Paralympic games three years away, Oscar Pistorius, the bilateral below the knee amputee sprinter from South Africa, continues to be in the news. In 2008, he was initially banned from competing in able-bodied track events, then reinstated by the international Court of Arbitration for Sport. Oscar was allowed to compete based on research done in the United States on his running that confirmed that he did not have an unfair advantage against able-bodied athletes in track events. Although he did not qualify for the able-bodied Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, he has set his sights on competing in the 2012 Olympics in London.

Recently, another study has been published that concludes he clearly has a significant advantage over able-bodied sprinters based on the lightness of his prosthetic limbs and his abilities to keep his legs in the air longer and to maintain contact with the ground longer than able-bodied runners. These conclusions are contradicted by the results of the research done on Oscar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008 which concluded that he had no mechanical or physiological advantage when compared to able-bodied sprinters of similar speed.

A major issue regarding the results of any research on Oscar Pistorius is that it is only being done on one runner. The conclusions of a few studies on one athlete are causing the public to have a negative perception of any runner that uses a prosthesis. Amputees who are sprinters, distance runners, or triathletes are hearing from the running community and the public that they have an unfair advantage because they use a prosthesis for running.

It is unfortunate and extremely unjust that the strong will and perseverance of one athlete can cause so many inaccurate generalizations about amputee runners. Amputee athletes that work hard in their training to try to keep up with their able-bodied counterparts now have to justify to the public that they can and should be able to compete on an equal playing field. Far more research needs to be done before any real conclusions can be made about Oscar Pistorius. These stories and conflicting conclusions on this highly- talented athlete should not change the perception that amputee athletes at all levels deal with many challenges in their effort to compete in sports and in life.  To read more about the controversial research go to the following link: http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/01238.2009v1

To read an essay from the NY times on this subject go to: http://ethicist.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/are-high-tech-prostheses-fair/

Amputee Support Groups

The ASPIRE Support Group holiday meeting is on Wednesday, December 16th at 6pm at the Hospital for Special Surgery located at 535 East 70th Street, NY. For more information about the ASPIRE support group meeting, contact Charlie Steele at charlieatl@aol.com or (212) 877-7050.

New York-Presbyterian Hospital Amputee Education and Support Group meets on the first Friday of every month from 10am  to 12 noon at the  Neurological Institute, 8th Floor North classroom (PT and OT Department) 710 W. 168th Street, contact Sharon Clark at 212-305-3964.  

Rusk Rehab Amputee Support Group (34th Street/1st avenue) meets Thursday, December 17th at  6:00 pm. For more information about the Rusk Rehab Support Group, contact Dr. Jeff Heckman at 631-873-6223 or jtheckman@yahoo.com

The Long Island Amputee Support Group meets the first Saturday of each month at South Side Hospital, 301 East Main Street in Bayshore. Contact Jodi Adler at 631-968-3330.  

For more information on amputee support groups around the country, go to http://www.amputee-coalition.org/npn_about.html

We all know what is like to eat and drink more during the holiday time. It is hard to resist all the parties and the food that comes with them. Be aware that with this extra intake of food and drink, you may develop significant weight gain.

When your body weight changes or fluctuates, you may notice that your prosthetic socket might not feel right or fit correctly. You may notice pressure areas and discomfort in specific locations on your residual limb. With minor and gradual changes in weight (maximum 3-5 lbs), your prosthetist can make changes to the prosthetic socket to accommodate for these changes. If your body weight changes drastically or very quickly, your prosthetist may need to completely fabricate a new prosthetic socket.

If you notice that you are not fitting properly in your prosthesis, or there are discomfort and areas of pressure in your socket, contact your prosthetist. Waiting too long to address the issue of weight change with a prosthetic socket that is not fitting well can potentially lead to major adjustments which are time consuming and potentially costly.

The keys to maintaining a healthy body weight are a well balanced diet and an active lifestyle. The level of exercise and activity will vary greatly for each person. What ever level of activity you choose, it is essential that you remain active and closely monitor any body weight changes and report them to your prosthetist.

Staying Active with Winter Sports

Skiing, snow boarding, and ice skating are fun winter sports. At A Step Ahead, we can custom align your prosthesis so you can enjoy these activities safely. In addition to alignment, we custom fabricate knee orthoses and stump helmets to protect your residual limb. Knee braces are essential for below the knee amputees who ski. While skiing, your knee will be subjected to side to side forces that will place excessive strain on your knee joint. A custom brace can be fabricated to attach to your prosthesis and will provide improved side to side stability reducing the risk of injury to your knee.

Below Knee Custom Ski Prosthesis

If you are an above the knee amputee, skiing without your prosthesis is common. A stump helmet is a device that will encompass and protect your residual limb if you fall. They are designed to reduce the risk of bruising and possible fractures of the bone in your residual limb.

Some above knee amputees are beginning to ski with a prosthesis using a specialized prosthetic knee called the XT9. The XT9 Energy Storing Prosthetic Knee, made by Symbiotechs USA, LLC for high activity AK amputees, is the first prosthesis designed to enable AK amputees to enjoy extreme sports and an active life at the top level. Thanks to an aerospace-grade, lightweight knee frame and other space-age materials and components, the XT9 prosthetic knee can withstand the forces generated in extreme sports by even the most active amputees. For more information on the XT9 knee, call our office or go to the Symbiotechs website: http://xt-9.com/ If you are gearing up for winter sports or are interested in a custom prosthesis for any sport, call our office to speak to one of our prosthetists.

Above Knee XT-9 Custom Ski Prosthesis

2009 was a pivotal year for amputee advocacy. Through individual and collective amputee efforts in Arkansas, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, Texas, and Virginia, prosthetic parity laws were passed, bringing the total number of states with fair insurance access laws to 17. The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) is planning for another productive year in 2010 to expand the number of state laws and to increase legislator awareness about amputee issues. 

To advance advocacy work at the state level, the Amputee Coalition of America is developing a new tool kit for local advocates to use to further develop their grassroots programs and improve their relationships with state legislators. "The success behind the prosthetic parity campaign comes from the power, passion and determination of individuals at the local level," said Dan Ignazewski, ACA Government Relations Specialist. "We want to support all our amputee advocacy network members and keep them informed."

Beyond local efforts, the ACA has continued to stay involved in the federal healthcare debate to make sure the limb loss community is represented in any reform that takes place. By partnering with organizations like the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA), the ACA has been able to expand these important efforts with advertising campaigns in major magazines like Time and Newsweek, Washington, D.C. area airports and bus stops as well as radio messages urging Congress members to include the limb loss community in healthcare reform.

The Amputee Coalition continues to work with local individuals and groups who are interested in joining the advocacy efforts. You can learn more about the ACA and about being involved in the advocacy program at www.amputee-coalition.org and at www.armsandlegsarenotaluxury.com .