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Post by allenuk on Sept 11, 2009 6:18:32 GMT -7
One for Ted, or anyone else familiar with bka technology! I take photographs of my leg and fittings. No good reason, but I do it. Anyway, looking at my pylon/socket today, (as my stump hurts more than usual), I thought I'd dig out pics from a couple of months ago and compare. The comparison shows a very odd picture. www.getdropbox.com/gallery/1503128/1/leg%20views?h=bec79eThe first is a pair of pics, one from July, one from today, showing a full side view of my leg and a bit of kitchen. The second is a blow-up of the top of the pylon, base of the socket, from the SAME pics, i.e. they're both supposed to be relatively upright (unless London has shifted). 1) My pylon isn't upright. It was upright, now it isn't. 2) Thus, my socket is at a strange angle to my pylon. What has happened? Well, the leg has been in to the workshop twice, once to adjust for a different pair of shoes, once to re-adjust when those shoes proved faulty. And while The Prosthetist does the 'clever' bits of adjustment, I think he might leave the basic set-up to the apprentices out the back. Any ideas, comments, help! Allen (left bka as if it needed saying) London. |
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Post by pegleg1az on Sept 11, 2009 7:35:41 GMT -7
Based on your pic's the first set are the same pictures. You must have double paste'd.
The second set (close up) Looks like they moved you forward over the foot. Putting all the pain on the back and thrusting you forward as you walk...?
Do they let you do your own adjustments as needed? If I need to adjust mine I will normally do 1/2 turns to try things out to take to pressure of the points.
I think I am reading it right,,
I have a 2 deg tilt forward on my leg and tapers out to stabilize me as I walk. otherwise if someone would push on me I would fall over more less.
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Post by pegleg1az on Sept 11, 2009 7:57:57 GMT -7
It is funny, When the doc works on my leg, the things I can not do. He will give it to me thinking he has it close to try and it walks like crap. I ask for his wrench and he is watching me make the adjustments, putting it on the ground to see if I have it right looking at it from all angles and then fine tune it , then give his wrench back, put on the leg and walk it like it was part of me. I think it blows his mind how some of us can tweak the legs that close being it is what we use daily..
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Post by allenuk on Sept 11, 2009 8:10:20 GMT -7
Blimey pegleg, that I did! I shall modify the pic immediately before confusing half the civilised world...
(Ten minutes later)..
All done, sorry about that, it's now the right set of pics.
Anyway, no, they frown on us doing our own tweaks, but I do try occasionally - as you say, a tweak, a walk, a tweak, a walk, and so on, can get you closer than the way they organise it in the fitting room (particularly as ours has a brilliant flat carpet, unlike life).
The trouble with the leg at present is that it seems SO far away from where it was that I feel loathe to touch it!
Allen.
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Post by ann- on Sept 11, 2009 8:44:02 GMT -7
It just looks to me like the july one is leaning more forward and the september one is more straight, probably only take a quick adjustment.
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Post by pegleg1az on Sept 11, 2009 14:18:19 GMT -7
If you were comfortable with the before setup, Just start off with a duplicate of the pic and start there if you can. I was tought to keep count on my turns with the wrench and once you get it were you want it. If you turn the screws on the top then do the opposite side in the bottom if needed.
In time you will know how the pylon sets...
I call it " giving myself a front end adjustment" when someone see's me tweaking the alignment.
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Post by tedatrowercpo on Sept 11, 2009 18:10:16 GMT -7
Looks to me like they both moved the foot posterior (offsetting adjustments at the ankle and distal socket) and extended the socket (plantarflexed the foot and pylon).
Since these two adjustments tend to change the feel of the prosthesis is opposite directions I suspect that to a great extent they just cancel each other out.
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Post by pegleg1az on Sept 11, 2009 19:08:55 GMT -7
I just read bla bla bla.
Did you say the moved the socket farther forward over the foot to put more heal down on the step? Putting more strain on the step? I know this is bla bla bla to you.
To me it would be like wearing a pair of shoes with extra long heal soles extending off the back side. Putting strain on every step.
I could never get the medical terms down. Plan English is best for me and I been a peg for 25 yrs. I guess I never wanted to learn the proper terms.
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Post by allenuk on Sept 12, 2009 0:27:16 GMT -7
Thanks all for those thoughts.
What they did in the workshop I don't know, but their task was to adjust the leg for a different pair of shoes, which had a slightly higher heel than the original pair; so if I'd worn the new shoes without any leg adjustment, I'd have been leaning a long way forward = painful and hard to walk.
And yes Ted, it does cancel out to some extent, but not quite enough!
(Pegleg: know what you mean about medical language; I have trouble with posteriors and anteriors, and when it comes to distals, I'm lost. Should learn it really, as it ought to mean greater accuracy).
Allen. (blah blah blah)
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Post by pegleg1az on Sept 12, 2009 12:49:57 GMT -7
Allen
You could have the heal set for a higher heal shoe then when you use a flatter shoe you could just use shims in the heal. As you take the shoe off leave the shim in the shoe for the next time...
I use 1/8" & 3/16" shims cut to fit inside the heal under the liner so they do not slide around.
I even use a thin metal plate in the heal so after time I do not flatten out the heal which will throw off the pitch if I am not using heal shims.
(You know the cheep hollow core soles)
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Post by allenuk on Sept 13, 2009 5:03:32 GMT -7
I like that, pegleg. I think in the past that did happen to me, but entirely by accident, not design - but your way does give me two pairs of shoes, plus some basic heel shims.
Thanks for the idea.
The other point, about adjusting the socket, is this: for some reason my stump is very sensitive. I can bash the rest of my body, cut, bruise, bleed, whatever, and it recovers very quickly. But if I get a sore bit on my stump, that is IT for days, even after the cause has been taken away.
So when I DO make adjustments, I have to be very patient - make the adjustment, leave it for 48 hours or more, and wait and see. Yesterday I made an adjustment, and today my stump is still sore in the same place, but it could well be just the 'old' pain not gone away yet!
Allen.
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Post by lizzie2 on Sept 13, 2009 7:54:32 GMT -7
I've just read the thread, Allen & I'd agree with Ted.  As well as metal shims(?) you could try using thin leather heel raises. I think you'll find that your foot won't move around as much if it's walking on leather. |
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Post by pegleg1az on Sept 13, 2009 8:45:25 GMT -7
Lizzie2 The reason for the metal shims are only for the shoes that have the soft rubbery soles that are hollow. If you use a piece of leather, it will form into the hole the prost. foot is forming in the sole. Also when I say metal shim I am talking about one that is like 22 ga. steel or less. The same thickness as on you car... I weigh around 200 lb and I have two in my CHEEP shoes. Before using the metal shims I was going through two pairs of shoes a year from just the heal collapsing. Now my one pair of shoes are on two yrs. and I think I can squeeze another out of them unless I burn them with my cutting torch.  The leather in different thicknesses will work as heal height wedges. I hope this clears things up for most of you.... Talk works better that typing. To bad we did not have a voice forum board so we can explain things out better. My idea if stonecutter can make that kind of forum board to happen. We both can be rich if he can make it and sell the board... I will be looking for my royallty checks in my paypall account. ;D ;D |
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