CHCS - Perspectives Summer/Fall 2017

36 Nova Southeastern University Physical Therapy Tampa Learning to Walk a Mile in Their Prosthetic Shoes By Mary Blackinton, Ed.D., PT, GCS, CEEAA, Associate Director, Doctor of Physical Therapy Hybrid Program HOW DO YOU GET physical therapy students to understand what it is like to walk with a prosthesis after a below-knee (BK) or above-knee (AK) amputation? Typically, educators use books and videos of patients to explain the biomechanics of prosthetic gait. Even videos, however, cannot capture the amount of concentration, effort, and motor relearning it takes to use a prosthesis. Enter Loi T. Ho, LP, CFO, an orthotist/prosthetist and chief executive officer of Prosthetic Design and Research. Loi uses specially designed prosthetics for non-amputees so they can experience walking with a BK or AK prosthesis. An AK amputee since birth, Loi is in the unique position to design prosthetics based on her experience. She created wearable prostheses to help non-amputees and professionals understand how prosthetics impact balance, mobility, energy expenditure, and daily living. What was the impact on students? When the D.P.T. students wore the prosthetics, they suddenly needed close guarding or assistance by classmates to walk. “After walking with the prosthesis, I had a newfound respect for how hard people with an amputation have to work to complete everyday tasks like standing or walking,” said second-year student Harrison Ehrlich. Second-year student Erin Vick also found it helped her focus on the person, not the condition. Second-year student Daniel Vu concurred. “Trying to walk with the modified prosthetics during lab was quite a challenge, and even frustrating at times,” he said. “It has heightened my understanding of how important it is for us, as future health care providers, to motivate and show compassion toward our patients. I can learn all I want from textbooks and lectures, but literally putting myself in the patients’ shoes was a unique and invaluable experience for me.” “Walking with Loi’s prosthetics is eye-opening even for seasoned clinicians, because it provides a kinesthetic understanding into the biomechanics of prosthetic gait,” said Tami Boudreaux, D.P.T., M.S., PT, the adjunct faculty member for patient client management post amputation who organized the lab. “Once the students experience the increased energy requirements, instability, and motor- control demands, they become more insightful, compassionate clinicians.” Second-year student Kaitlyn Guillot experiences walking with a prosthesis while classmate David Andino-Selgao (left) looks on. “After walking with the prosthesis, I had a newfound respect for how hard people with an amputation have to work to complete everyday tasks like standing or walking.” —Harrison Ehrlich Second-Year Student