SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER ASPIRE Support Group Meeting: The monthly ASPIRE adult amputee support group meeting takes place on Wednesday September 27 at 6:15 at Hospital for Special Surgery located at 535 East 70th Street, NY, NY For more information about this informative monthly meeting contact Charlie Steele at charlieatl@aol.com or (646) 331-1510. Mobility Clinics: Join Dave Balsley, P.T. and Phil Kreuter, P.T. for their monthly mobility clinic, Sunday September 17th at 10am at the Jericho High School track. They will provide instruction in gait training, advanced mobility skills and instruction in running techniques. Dave and Phil have extensive experience working with amputees of all ages and activity levels. Prostethic Tips for Travel: With the recent increase in security regulations many patients have had questions about traveling with their prosthesis, especially if they are traveling with an extra leg (sports, water, or high activity leg ). The rule of thumb, DO NOT CHECK YOUR PROSTHESIS IN, EVER !!!!. Recently an athlete was traveling overseas to a sports meet and the airlines lost her running prosthesis. Despite their efforts to locate the prosthesis they were unable to find it and the athlete was unable to compete with her sports prosthesis. According to a recent update from the Transportation Securities Administration, people with disabilities, those with prosthetic devices, and those with medical conditions, DO NOT have to remove their shoes during this heightened security level nor has this been the case during routine travel times. See the link below for more details about travel from the ACA. http://www.amputee-coalition.org/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=247&z=9 Prosthetic Parity: The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) continues its state by state effort to insure that all patients with limb loss are covered by their insurance company appropriately for prosthetic coverage. Below is a link to the ACA’s blog highlighting the efforts and latest news in New York and other states. For more information on the ACA and prosthetic parity contact the ACA at APPLL@amputee-coalition.org or 202-742-1885. http://acaparity.blogspot.com/2006/06/ny-update-on-prosthetic-parity.html Team A Step Ahead: Team A Step Ahead athletes continue to have a very busy and successful summer season. Highlights this summer:
New York Road Runners Achilles Track http://www.achillestrackclub.org/ Club Hope & Possibility 5 mile Race: Central Park August 5 Tommy Koehler – 33:18 1st place BK division, 37th overall out of 1290 competitors Brian O’Sullivan - 41:35 1st place AK division - Elizabeth Salick - race walk 1 hour and 12 minutes
Pittsburgh Olympic Distance Triathlon, August 5th - Amy Winters 2 hours and 33 minutes 1st in her age group, 7th female overall august 5
Chicago Olympic Distance Triathlon: August 26 - Amy Winters - 2 hours 41 minutes – 1st Place physically challenged athlete
- Kelly Bruno – 3 hours and 1 minute 2nd place
- Sarah Reinersten – 3 hours and 40 minutes 3rd place
Another Ironman was added to the growing list of Team A Step Ahead athletes. Ray Viscome a veteran of multiple shorter distance triathlons completed his first Ironman triathlon at the Lake Placid Ironman in a time of 13 hours and 26 minutes.
Coach Dave Balsley, P.T. a veteran of many ultra-marathons also completed his first Ironman Triathlon at the Lake Placid Ironman in a time of 12 hours and 54 minutes.
September will be a busy month for runners and triathletes. 7 Team A Step ahead long distance runners will be competing in the 50 mile Ocean to Sound Relay on Long Island. Amy Winters and Kelly Bruno will be representing the United States and Team A Step Ahead at the ITU World Triathlon Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. Tommy Koehler, Brian O’Sullivan and John Tartaglio (handcycle division) are in the midst of their training for the NYC Marathon on November 5. This will be the first marathon for John and Brian. Kelly Bruno will be attempting her first marathon on December 3 at the Marathon of the Palm Beaches. Amy Winters will be running her second marathon of the year at the Chicago Marathon on October 25th. Other upcoming events this fall for Team A Step Ahead include the Challenged Athletes Foundation ½ Ironman Triathlon in San Diego on November 5th. Team A Step Ahead will be sending two triathlon relay teams including swimmers Sandy Dukat & Marcos Corti, cyclists Michael Foresto & Ray Viscome and runners Amy winters & Kelly Bruno. For more information on Team A Step Ahead go to: http://www.astepaheadonline.com/tasah.html A Note from Theresa: Often, the prosthetists are not available to get on the phone when you call (especially during business hours when they are seeing other patients). As the Patient Care Coordinator (and a nurse), I am trained to assess and triage prosthetic and skin problems that you may be having. Please feel free to ask me questions. I may not have all the answers however; I will find out and get back to you as soon as possible. This will ultimately allow the prosthetists to provide the best care that they can for you as well as for the patients who are here. From the Billing Department: Yes, it is that time of year again, summer ends and fall begins. It is also Insurance Options time for most people. It is time to check your insurance coverage to make sure that you are optimizing your prosthetic coverage. So check your options and your insurance coverage. If you have any questions about your current insurance coverage or any changes in coverage call the billing department or email us a janet@astepaheadonline.com From the Technical Staff - Prosthetic Checkup: Summer Vacation is over and it is time to make sure that your prosthesis is working well and does not require any major over haul. A prosthesis is a mechanical device that needs regular maintenance. Would you let your car go for years without a tune up or oil change? Of course not. As we transition from summer to autumn, now would be the perfect time to bring in your swim prosthesis. Even if you are diligent about cleaning your swim prosthesis/prostheses, we recommend that our highly trained technical staff overhaul them for you. The prostheses will be disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and tourqued to manufacturers specifications. If you have not had a visit to A Step Ahead in the last few months your prosthesis may need a tune up. Don’t wait until something breaks. Call Theresa to set up an appointment for a routine follow up.
From the Prosthetic Staff – Check Your Fit
In a few months, autumn will turn into winter and as the temperatures drop, your residual limb may decrease in size. If you wear a trans-tibial prosthesis, proper sock ply is crucial. Maintaining sock ply as the temperature drops will prevent discomfort in your socket. There are several areas that will be key indicators if you are not wearing the proper sock ply; underneath your patella (knee cap), the posterior shelf (behind your knee) and the distal end of your residual limb (bottom of your limb). These areas may become red, irritated, and bruised if you’re not in the proper sock ply.
If you wear a trans-femoral prosthesis, and your residual limb has decreased in size due to the cold weather, your prosthesis will have to be tightened. Areas that are key indicators that your residual limb is too deep in the socket are; excessive pressure on your ischial tuberosity (sitting bone), adductor tendon (groin), and the distal end of your residual limb (bottom of your limb). These areas may become red, may have skin breakdown and bruising. At your routine maintenance visit, your entire prosthesis will be evaluated. REMEMBER, we would rather see you at a routine visit than an emergency visit.
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