Lower limb prosthetic socket shape and volume consistency can be quantified using MRI technology. Additionally, MRI images of the residual limb could be used as an input data for CAD-CAM technology and finite element studies. However, the accuracy of MRI when socket casting materials are used has to be defined. A number of six, 46 mm thick, cross-sections of an animal leg were used. Three speci...

Arm-amputation involves two powerful drivers for brain plasticity-sensory deprivation and altered use. However, research has largely focused on sensory deprivation and maladaptive change. Here we show that adaptive patterns of limb usage after amputation drive cortical plasticity. We report that individuals with congenital or acquired limb-absence vary in whether they preferentially use their i...

BACKGROUND Deficiency in upper limb development is a sequel of the perinatal brachial plexus palsy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of brachial plexus birth lesion on upper limb development. METHODS Forty-four patients with unilateral obstetric brachial plexus palsy underwent measurements of both upper extremities. The average age at the time of evaluation was 6.8 years. ...

WHEN SKELETAL MUSCLE IS STRETCHED while activated, force increases significantly. After the end of the stretch, force decays rapidly and reaches steady state. This steady-state force is higher than the force produced at the corresponding length during purely isometric contractions. This increase in force observed after the stretch, referred to as steady-state force or residual force enhancement...

Arm rotation is very useful for unilateral amputees and essential for bilateral amputees to perform tasks of daily living. We propose a new approach for improving the control of prosthetic arm rotation in amputees. This new approach involves inserting a small permanent magnet into the distal end of the residual bone of subjects with upper limb amputations. When a subject rotates the residual ar...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE For the treatment of leg-length discrepancies (LLDs) of between 2 and 5 cm in adolescent patients, several epiphyseodesis options exist and various complications have been reported. We reviewed the 8- to 15-year outcome after temporary epiphyseodesis in patients with LLD. PATIENTS AND METHODS 34 children with LLD of up to 5 cm were included in the study. Mean age at epi...

Pediatric traumatic limb amputations are rare and their acute and long term management can be challenging in this subgroup of patients. The lengthy and costly hospital stays, and resulting physical and psychological implications leads to significant morbidity. We present a summary of treatment principles and the evidence base supporting the management options for this entity. The initial manage...

Most transhumeral amputees report that their prosthetic device lacks functionality, citing the control strategy as a major limitation. Indeed, they are required to control several degrees of freedom with muscle groups primarily used for elbow actuation. As a result, most of them choose to have a one-degree-of-freedom myoelectric hand for grasping objects, a myoelectric wrist for pronation/supin...

For better understanding of the links between limb morphology and the metabolic cost of locomotion, we have characterized the relationships between limb length and shape and other functionally important variables in the straightened forelimbs and hindlimbs of a sample of 12 domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Intra-animal comparisons show that forelimbs and hindlimbs are very similar (not signifi...