June 2007 NEWSLETTER Vol. 4 Issue 6 Empire State Games for the Physically Challenged From May 31- June 2 five members of Junior Team A Step Ahead participated and competed at the annual Empire State Games for the Physically Challenged at the Mitchell Athletic Complex in Uniondale Long Island. Caleb Giordano, Alexandra Capelleni, James Lozano, Catherine Hughes and Davonni Baboolal competed in track and field events and enjoyed other games and events. The Juniors strutting their stuff Accompanying the junior team were Amy Palmerio-Winters, who was the keynote speaker at the opening ceremonies, as well as Phil Kreuter, P.T. Erik Schaffer, C.P. and Chris Kort. C.P.O. The athletes, parents and staff all had a great time at the games, trying new athletic events, meeting new friends and enjoying being part of a team. We look forward to bringing a much larger junior team to the 2008 Games. Katie going stride for stride with Amy
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Alexandra rock climbing | | James throwing the club |
Caleb and James in the 100 meter dash
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Davonni throwing the club | | Amy speaking at opening ceremonies |
Amputee Support Groups The monthly ASPIRE adult amputee support group meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 27 at 6:15 pm at the Hospital for Special Surgery located at 535 East 70th Street, NY, For more information about this informative monthly meeting contact Charlie Steele at charlieatl@aol.com or (212) 877-7050 A new amputee Long Island based support group is starting called BELIEVE. The group will hold its meetings every Monday at 7:30 pm at Sacred Heart Parish, located at 301 Long Beach Road in Island Park. Contact Susan Deluca at 516-992-5025 or by email: springer57@optonline.net.
Patients in the News Sandy Dukat, (AK) Paralympic skier, rock climber, distance swimmer, runner and soon to be triathelte, and a proud member of Team A Step Ahead, was honored on May 17 as a celebrity athlete at the annual fundraising dinner for the Abilities Center in Albertson N.Y. Sandy, along with three other female athletes from the US, Norway and Great Britain with disabilities will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro this fall. Mt Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet above sea level.  Their newly formed organization, “Disabilities Without Borders” hopes to raise a dollar for every foot they ascend and descend the mountain for a total of $38,680. Money raised by this effort will be used for scholarships for female athletes for training at the National Sport Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, CO.. For more information on this fundraising event and how you can help support athletes with disabilities, click HERE.
Sandy Dukat, World Class Paralympic Skier
Rehab Corner Strengthening Exercises Once you receive a lower extremity prosthesis and are able to begin full weight bearing ambulation, closed chain exercises can be incorporated into your exercise programs. The principle behind closed chain exercises is that your muscles perform in a functional way when your foot is on the ground or on a stable surface. When you exercise in this manner all the muscles in your residual limb work together to stabilize you in your prosthetic socket and teach you to contract them during walking and other functional activities.
Closed chain exercises, which more closely replicate normal function, provide compression to various joints which help strengthen the surrounding muscles, stabilizing the joint. A closed-chain exercise helps strengthen muscle groups rather than single muscles and helps the muscles to work together.
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| Attach the tubing or resistive cord to your non-prosthetic side. Lift that leg out to the side placing all your body weight on the prosthetic side. When the weight is on the prosthetic side, tighten up all the muscles in your residual limb. | | This exercise is done similarly to the first exercise. With the therapeutic tubing attached to your non prostethic side, pull the leg back behind you and support all your weight on the prosthetic side. |
Consult your physician and a physical therapist regarding your readiness for any exercise program as well as details about frequency and intensity of each exercise. For more information on developing an exercise program contact Phil Kreuter, PT at phil@astepaheadonline.com
From the Prosthetist
Spring & Summer As summer approaches and the temperature increases, several issues may develop with the fit of your prosthesis. Sweating is a major concern. If you wear a below knee prosthesis sweating can contribute to a sloppy fit with poor suspension. Throughout the course of the day you may have to take your prosthesis and silicone liner off and dry off both the liner and your skin. If you don’t, you will be subjecting your limb to a wet sloppy fit that may potentially lead to skin breakdown and bone bruising. If drying off your limb does not help, there are anti-perspirants that can be applied to you limb. If over the counter antiperspirants don’t work you should seek advice from a dermatologist regarding stronger prescription anti-perspirants. If you wear an above knee prosthesis we advise the same care if you use a silicone liner with a seal or lanyard. If your prosthesis is suspended by total suction, taking off your prosthesis and drying you limb and applying a light coating of medicated powder would be a good first option. Another option would be to apply an anti-perspirant. Another concern in the warm summer weather is volume fluctuation. Your residual limb may increase in size due to the heat. If you wear a below the knee prosthesis, this issue can be resolved easily by reducing sock ply. For above the knee, an adjustment to your socket may be necessary. The heat may pose difficulty for donning an above knee prosthesis. Staying in a well air conditioned room for about 15- 20 minutes and then donning the prosthesis may make it easier. If you have more questions about how to manage with the changes in temperature and how it affects your residual limb call our office and speak to your prosthetist.
Amputee Coalition of America
Parity Report The Oregon campaign committee worked hard to negotiate with representatives of the insurance industry in order to keep House Bill 2517 alive. The bill recently passed the Senate and House. It hit the governor's desk at the end of May, making Oregon the seventh state to pass parity into law. Activists have been fighting hard to push Pennsylvania's House Bill 317. The Insurance Committee chair recently pledged to hold a hearing in June. Activists are working hard to push for passage onto the floor before they adjourn for the summer recess. New York has been a difficult battle! Sen. James Seward continues to delay in holding a public hearing or committee vote for SB 1672. ACA is working with Assemblywoman Gunther's office to schedule meetings with Spitzer and Paterson some time this summer to ask for their support. Currently, activists are contacting the executive offices to ask them to urge Sen. Seward to give this bill its day on the Senate floor. After a successful rally and lobby day at the capitol, thousands of petitions signatures and hundreds of phone calls, the ACA feels that this is a very reasonable request. Several other states continue to advance legislation. Rep. Lisa Wojno has committed to advancing parity in the Michigan legislature. And the IL Society is working with the ACA to introduce a parity bill in the fall. The ACA's National Advocacy Team is making plans for a diverse range of exciting activities at the ACA's upcoming Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA June 15-17th. We are also offering individual consultations throughout the conference to any activist who would like to schedule time to speak with a member of the Advocacy team about building or enhancing a campaign in their state. ACA announces new publication: A Guide to Preventing and Managing Diabetes and its Complications http://www.amputee-coalition.org/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=538&z=1
Team A Step Ahead The New York City triathlon on July 22, one of the largest triathlons in the US with over 4,500 participants will feature eight members of Team A Step Ahead.. The team will include Marcos Corti, Kelly Bruno, Amy Palmerio-Winters, Sandy Dukat, Tommy Koehler, Brian O’Sullivan, Paul Martin and Sarah Reinersten. Based on her performance last year at the NYC triathlon, Amy Palmerio-Winters will be competing in the elite amateur division of the race. This will be the first time an athlete with a disability will be officially competing in an able-bodied elite division of a triathlon. On the same day when these eight athletes swim, ride and run throughout New York City, Ray Viscome will be competing in his 2nd Ironman Competition at the Ford Lake Placid Ironman. The staff of Team A Step Ahead wish all of the athletes good luck. From more information about Team A Step Ahead go to our website: http://www.astepaheadonline.com/tasah.html
Achilles Track Club Hope & Possibility 5 Mile Race The Achilles Track Club and the New York Road Runners Club will be hosting the 5 mile Hope and Possibility Race in Central Park on Sunday June 24. There is prize money for the first, second and third places for Above Knee and Below Knee categories, but there needs to be at least seven runners in the category for prize money to be awarded. Let’s continue to show the running and sports community how strong the runners Of Team A Step Ahead are: Registration is available on the Achilles Track Club website: http://achillestrackclub.org/hopeandpossibility/index_signup.html#individuals
June Mobility Clinic Join Dave Balsley, P.T. and Phil Kreuter, P.T. for their monthly mobility clinic on Saturday June 16, at 10 am at the Jericho High School track on Long Island. 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; learn from experienced coaches and physical therapists. The setting is relaxed and enjoyable. There is no pressure, come and 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.
Fundraiser for ASPIRE  Long time coach of many of Team A Step Ahead’s runners and athletes, Dave Balsley will be running the Badwater Ultramarathon from July 23-25 as a fundraiser for ASPIRE.
The race covers 135 miles from Death Valley, the lowest point in elevation in the U.S. to Mount Whitney, one of the highest points in the U.S. Only 80 selective runners are accepted into this prestigious race where athletes will endure temperatures that exceed 130 degrees and will traverse three mountain ranges with over 13,000 feet of vertical ascent. Accompanying Dave and pacing him in this ultra endurance event will be many of the amputee athletes he has coached over the years. Dave is seeking donations per mile that he will run. All donations will go directly to ASPIRE to assist children and athletes with limb loss. Donations can be sent directly to ASPIRE, c/o Greater Long Island Running Club 101-24 Dupont Street Plainview, New York 11803. All of us at A Step Ahead wish Dave the best in this amazing test of endurance and in his fundraising efforts for ASPIRE For more information about the race and the fundraiser contact Phil Kreuter at 516-681-3484.
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Badwater Ultramarathon Start Death Valley | | Badwater Ultramarathon Finish Mt. Whitney |
Summer Travel Tips: The Transportation Security Administration has issued guidelines for travelers with disabilities.
Some of the basic guidelines are:
Security Officers will need to see and touch your prosthetic device, cast or support brace as part of the screening process.
Security Officers will not ask nor require you to remove your prosthetic device, cast, or support brace.
During the screening process, please do not remove or offer to remove your prosthetic device.
You have the option of requesting a private screening at any time during the screening of your prosthetic device, cast or support brace.
Refer to the following website for the details from the TSA: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1370.shtm#0
A Step Ahead Attends Fundraiser for Abilities Center On May 17, Erik Schaffer, Chris Kort and Phil Kreuter represented A Step Ahead at the annual Sports Night fundraising dinner for the Abilities center and the Henry Viscardi School in Albertson, NY. This annual dinner and auction raises over $1 million for the multi-faceted Abilities Center that provides a variety of programs for children and adults with disabilities. Sports Night brings out over 40 celebrity athletes to help raise the needed funds to support this great organization. For more information about this organization visit their website: http://www.abilitiesonline.org/index.aspx
A Step Ahead is a Provider of Prosthetic Care for Federal Employees A Step Ahead has been asked to become a provider in a federal program that will give employees in over 40 federal agencies the opportunity to receive the complete services of our facility. Based on A Step Ahead’s many years of experience in providing prostethic care to disabled veterans, we will now be a provider for prosthetic & orthotic services in the New York metropolitan region. Incorporating a 100 mile radius from our facility, employees of agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Coast Guard, the Army, Navy & Air Force Department of Transportation, the FBI, the Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security, Health & Human Services, Department of Transportation, will now be able to benefit from all of the expertise and experience of A Step Ahead. We are very proud to be selected by the federal government to provide the highest quality prostethic and orthotic care for its employees.
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