Boston Bomb Victims Get Second Chance at Walking

Prosthetics have helped many people over the years replace the loss of an arm or leg. The prosthetics are becoming more and more advanced to the point that they are becoming more like the limb they are replacing. This advancement in technology is being put to use in Boston due to the bombing that just occurred there at the marathon. 

The chaos of the bomb cost 14 people at least one limb[1]. These people will now have to come to terms with no longer having one or more of their limbs. The advances in robotic prosthetics will make the transition easier for these 14 victims. The company iWalk has revolutionized the lower leg prosthetic by adding a battery powered ankle that drives the wearer forward which mimics the natural gait of a normal leg [1]. 

This will make walking easier for the victims that lost one or both of their legs. This technology means nothing though if the prosthetic doesn’t fit correctly. The fitting process for the bomb victims will be a difficult process. The first step will be to create a cast of the limb to create a piece that will suction to the end of the victims limb [1]. Although the limb will not be ready for suction for twelve months because the limb will change in size at first, in the meantime the prosthetic will be attached with a sleeve or pin [1]. For the people that lost an arm, researchers are working on what is called a Luke Arm which is based on the character from Star Wars[1]. These advances in prosthetics will greatly help the victims of the Boston Bombing by giving them more natural motion. These innovations are only the tip of the iceberg to what the future will hold.     

This is a guest blog post by Mitchell who runs a golf blog at survivinggolf.blogspot.com

[1]Borchers, C. (2013, April 18). Advances in prosthetics will aid bomb victims.BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved from http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/04/17/local-prosthetic-technology-could-help-marathon-bombing-survivors/KZIY40IDZl2UakWJPG2z1N/story.html