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Hi-tech artificial limbs
MAKING ARTIFICIAL limbs is a specialised activity. High presicion work is usually found to be lacking in the various units that manufacture artificial limbs.
It is something which should be comfortable, functional and finally have a cosmetic appeal too. Usually comfort of the handicapped person takes a backseat while the functional and cosmetic aspects are compromised upon.
Sai Rehabilitation at Eroor, set up in 1996, has started gaining momentum in popularising artificial limbs with that extra bit of comfort. "That is what anyone with an amputated leg or arm looks for,'' P.R. Mahadevan, one of the promoters of Sai Rehab says. "It needs a lot of coordination with the doctors, an orthotic and prosthetic engineer, the manufacturer and the patient,'' he adds.
"Making artificial limbs is a hi-tech area,'' Mr. Mahadevan opines. Taking a mould and casting the leg is not all that goes into making an artificial limb, he adds. The latest method of making a mould is called suction socket mould or the total contact socket.
With rehabilitation of handicapped persons as the main focus, the promoters of Sai Rehab, S. Ramakrishnan and Mr. Mahadevan, are also the key persons in running a school for cerebral palsy-affected children called Adarsh in Thripunithura.
Sai Rehab has taken up the agency for artificial British and German limb makers. Using imported high temperature thermoplast (pro polymer polypropelene) the sockets are made which are padded with soft material, again imported.
The mould is cast by taking into consideration the weight of the person and the shape of the leg. The usual Jaipur limbs too are made here. Ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 60,000 for limbs below knee and from Rs 4,000 to Rs 4 lakhs for above the knee, the artificial limbs at Sai are available in 20 varieties.
The organisation specialises in limbs for cerebral palsy-affected children and also for paraplegic and hemiplegic patients.
Sai also provides consultancy for environmental modification for handicapped persons. Other rehabilitation items include wheel chairs and furniture for physically disabled. "We have given about 350 artificial legs to the needy. Many have been given through social organisations or through funds kept apart for economically poor persons,'' Mr. Mahadevan said.
By Shyama Rajagopal
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