THE challenge of living with limb loss is daunting for any individual. With rapid advances in technology, however, the level of comfort and function amputees can obtain with modern day prostheses and materials technology improves daily.
The prosthetists at Northern Victoria Orthotic & Prosthetic Service (NVOPS) in Shepparton, Noel and Elizabeth, work with state-of-the-art prosthetic devices to give people the opportunity to attain mobility with greater convenience.
“Some of our lower limb prosthetics come with microprocessor control that simulate normal leg and foot movement. There is technology in development that picks up signals from the body that activates computer chips in the ankle to cause movement when required,” said prosthetist, Noel Mitchell.
While some limbs can cost thousands of dollars, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is making it easier for amputees to access local prosthetic service providers.
“Technology that makes our work easier and provides greater accuracy is being able to take a 3D scan of the amputee’s limb to make the custom prosthetic socket. Previously we were making plaster of paris casts around limbs that were difficult to handle, now we can do it all digitally,” added Noel.
NVOPS produce the custom fitting carbon fibre sockets at their Shepparton clinic, incorporating these with the most appropriate prosthetic components such as feet and knees, from around the world.
For more information, contact the NVOPS team on (03) 5822 4277, visit their clinic at 40 King St, Shepparton or check out their Facebook page.
