February Newsletter Vol. 5 Issue 2 Patients in the News Amy Palmiero-Winters and Erik Schaffer, C.P., appeared on WNBC TV on Sunday, January 13th on the Weekend in New York Show. Their interview focused on Amy’s running and triathlon achievements, her customized prostheses for running and cycling, as well as her quest to qualify for the United States Olympic Trials in the marathon. The show was early on a Sunday morning so for those who did not see it you can view it on our website at:
http://www.astepaheadonline.com/videos_home.html
Peer Visitor Training Seminar
Saturday, February 23, 2007 North Shore LIJ
Glen Cove Hospital
101 St. Andrews Lane
Glen Cove, New York A Step Ahead Prosthetics will be hosting an Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) certified peer visitor training seminar on Saturday, February 23rd at Glen Cove Hospital. The peer visitor training program is a nationwide program developed and coordinated by the ACA.
A peer visitor is someone who has experienced a life changing event (limb loss or congenital deficiency). In addition they are living a full and productive life, and have completed a training program which prepares them to visit another individual and his/her family facing a similar experience. A Peer Visitor volunteers to:
• Serve as a role model
• Offer emotional support
• Provide information about the resources available locally and nationally to recent
amputees.
Peer visitors are sensitive listeners who will use their developed skills in communication to facilitate the new amputee’s own recovery and self-exploration so that they may make good decisions for themselves. The trainer for this seminar is Charlie Steele. Charlie is a board member of the Amputee Coalition of America, coordinates the ASPIRE amputee support Group in New York City and is an experienced peer visitor trainer. For more information about attending and registering for this training program and becoming a certified peer visitor, contact Susan Tipton, National Peer Network Coordinator to register for this training seminar at the ACA office at 888-267-5669. Registration deadline is February 15th.
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Tommy Koehler - World Class Runner |
Tommy Koehler and Amy Palmiero-Winters continue to get faster breaking more barriers as they compete in road races and triathlons. At the Sunken Meadow 5 kilometer race on January 13th, Tommy placed first in his age group and 12th overall out of 600 runners with a time of 19:50. Amy placed 2nd in her age group and 2nd overall women with a time of 20:23.
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| Ralph Greene - World Class Skier |
Ralph Greene (Hip Disarticulation) is traveling to Sweden, Korea, and Japan competing in World Cup skiing races as part of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team.
Junior Team A Step Ahead events in February include indoor rock climbing at Island Rock on Long Island and a 4 day ski camp in Pennsylvania. The rock climbing clinic was coordinated by Lori Penesis and Amy Palmiero-Winters and assisted by Craig Pratka. The next big team event is the annual ASPIRE 10 Kilometer Road Race in Plainview, New York. The race is 6.2 miles with a ½ mile fun run for children and a special 5K start for any amputee who can not complete the 10 kilometer distance. For more information on the ASPIRE race and to register as part of Team A Step Ahead contact our office at 516-681-3484.
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Sofia Castillo | | James Lozano |
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Oscar Pistorius - world class
athlete denied entry into able
bodied sports competition. |
Amputee Athlete Denied Entry into Able-Bodied Sports Competition The high profile story of world class sprinter Oscar Pistorius has distorted and may possibly erode the years of progress made by athletes with disabilities. Mr. Pistorius, a double below the knee amputee from South Africa, currently holds world records in the 100, 200 and 400 meter dash as a Paralympian and has been seeking the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games in Beijing if he made the qualifying standard in the 400 meter race. That apparently, will not be the case, as he has been denied the opportunity to compete against able-bodied athletes in the international arena, including the Olympic Games. The ruling by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) is based on a study showing that his running prostheses give him a significant advantage when compared to able-bodied runners. The study compared him to a small sample of able-bodied runners. The validity and reliability of this recent research needs to be further analyzed. Mr. Pistorius is seeking further analysis of the data and input from researchers in the United States. The IAAF has denied Mr. Pistorius the opportunity to compete based on one study. In doing so, they have damaged a 50-year-long effort by athletes with physical disabilities to change the perception that they are inferior. Much has changed since the first athletes who use wheelchairs, prosthesis, and other devices to improve their mobility began to compete amongst themselves. The Paralympic Games have become well recognized around the world as the ultimate in sports competition for athletes with disabilities. Young children with physical disabilities now have world class role models that they can look up to just as their able-bodied peers do. All over the United States programs that provide sports opportunities for athletes with disabilities continue to grow. The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has a fully funded division, US Paralympics, dedicated to the support of sport for athletes with disabilities. Many world class athletes are competing alongside their able-bodied peers in a variety of sports and the coverage of their achievements are slowly showing up in the sports pages of major newspapers. Clearly, there needs to be a limitation on how far technology can assist an athlete in competition whether they are competing within a disability category or against able-bodied athletes. But it is not yet clear if that is the case with Pistorius; and in a larger sense, his ban from competition in the able-bodied sports world may do something worse than provide an unfair advantage for him; it may create an unfortunate perception by the general public that all athletes who use a prosthesis are the same, and have the same supposed “advantages” against able-bodied athletes. Advantages? Try telling that to the Team A Step Ahead athletes who must deal with all the issues of using a prostheses in their everyday life, much less in their sport. Perception is the key to acceptance. The negative perception that many now have as the result of the Pistorius ruling could significantly alter the progress that athletes with disabilities have been making in their goal to be fully accepted into the sports world and in society in general.
Staying Active with Winter Sports Skiing, snow boarding and ice skating are fun winter sports. At A Step Ahead we can custom align your prosthesis so you can enjoy these activities safely. In addition to alignment, we custom fabricate knee orthoses and stump helmets to protect your residual limb. Knee braces are essential for below the knee amputees who ski. While skiing, your knee will be subjected to side to side forces that will place excessive strain on your knee joint. A custom brace can be fabricated to attach to your prosthesis and will provide improved side to side stability reducing the risk of injury to your knee.
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Joe Birchwale ready for skiing | | Custom knee brace & prosthesis for skiing |
If you are an above the knee amputee, skiing without your prosthesis is common. A stump helmet is a device that will encompass and protect your residual limb if you fall. They are designed to reduce the risk of bruising and possible fractures of the bone in your residual limb. If you are gearing up for winter sports and are interested in a custom prosthesis for any sport, call our office to speak to one of our prosthetists.
Amputee Support Groups The next ASPIRE support group meeting will be held on Wednesday February 27 at 6:15 pm at the Hospital for Special Surgery located at 535 East 70th Street, NY. For more information about the ASPIRE support group contact Charlie Steele at charlieatl@aol.com or (212) 877-7050 The Columbia Presbyterian Hospital amputee support group meets at the Hoyt Board Room Children’s Hospital room 121 north. For more information contact M. Stern at 212-305-9917
The Long Island amputee support group meets the first Saturday of each month at South Side Hospital, 301 East Main Street in Bayshore. If you are interested in joining this group contact Jodi Adler at 631-968-3330.
Virtual Consultations A Step Ahead now offers the ability to do live video consultations with our prosthetists and perspective patients around the world. Through the use of this technology we can demonstrate prosthetic design and components using photographs and direct visualization. Using any computer with high speed internet access will allow you the ability to take advantage of this very convenient, cost effective technology. In addition, this allows us to more accurately assess a new patient before they travel to our facility in New York. For more information and details about how to set up a virtual consultation, contact our office or go to the following page at the A Step Ahead web site: http://www.astepaheadonline.com/video_consult.html
Mobility Clinic Even in the cold winter months the monthly Mobility Clinics continue. Dave Balsley, P.T. and Phil Kreuter, P.T. will be at the Jericho High School track on Long Island for their monthly mobility clinic at 10 am on Sunday February 17. They will provide instruction in gait training and running techniques as well as advanced mobility skills. Dave and Phil have extensive experience working with amputees of all ages and activity levels. Come work out with world class athletes and learn from experienced coaches and physical therapists. The setting is relaxed and enjoyable. There is no pressure, come learn and see what you can do to improve yourself or just watch. For more information and directions to the mobility clinic, please call the office at 516-681-3484.
For C-leg users. There is a new cordless rechargeable power supply that you can use for travel. The Black & Decker Power to Go. The Power to Go powers & recharges personal electronics, supplies portable AC & USB power to mobile electronics. No adapters needed, plug your charger in and power on the go. It provides up to 9 hours of extended runtime. For more information on this product, click HERE.
Virtual Reality Can Help to Alleviate Phantom Pain Phantom pain is probably one of the most common complaints with recent amputees. For some it can become intolerable and chronic. Recently researchers at the University of Manchester have developed a computer program which enables amputees to visualize their missing limbs. The virtual reality system has proved to be effective in alleviating the pain associated with phantom limb syndrome, the sensation that a amputated limb is still attached to the body. For more information about this new technique go the following links:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/070118-phantom-limb.html
http://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/11/15/virtual-limbs-reduce-phantom-pain-in-amputees/
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=21004
 New Jersey Passes Parity Bill New Jersey became the eighth state to pass parity legislation. The other states are Colorado, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, California, and Oregon. The details of the New Jersey legislation can be found on the following page of the ACA website:
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=671&z=3
More progress has been made!! Support the parity campaign at:
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacy/donation The Amputee Coalition of America is working with partners to introduce federal legislation to protect access to prosthetic care. They are working with Foley & Lardner, LLC as well as several members of Congress including Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ). They have also reached out to Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). Eight states have now passed prosthetic parity legislation. There are currently 30 states advancing prosthetic coverage bills. Now the ACA is taking the fight to Congress. The big push right now is to secure co-sponsors for the federal legislation. The goal is to introduce the bill in February.
ACA Annual Conference The annual Amputee Coalition of America will be held from June 18-21 in Atlanta Georgia. For more information and to register for this informative conference go to the following website:
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/annual_meeting_about.html
The 2008 Amputee Coalition of America Youth Camp will be held July 20-24, 2008, at Joy Outdoor Education Center in Clarksville, Ohio. For more information on the ACA youth camp go to:
http://www.amputee-coalition.org/youth_camp.html
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