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APPROVED: PROSTHETIC LEGS THAT ANCHOR DIRECTLY TO THE BONE
Popular Science Reports [popsci.com]
The FDA has just approved leg prosthetics that anchor directly to the bone, which could change the lives of amputees who cannot use typical ball-and-socket prosthetics.
Most prosthetics require a cup-shaped socket to be fastened to an amputee's residual limb, but some amputees don’t have enough limb left to use this method of attaching a prosthetic. The Osseoanchored Prosthesis for the Rehabilitation of Amputees (OPRA) device solves this issue by using fixtures that are implanted directly into the amputee’s bone, which allows them to attach a prosthetic to it, like a bionic K’Nex [wikipedia.org].
The device is surgically installed with two procedures. In the first procedure, a cylinder-shaped fixture is implanted directly into the remaining bone. The implant is made out of titanium so that the bone does not reject it. After about six months when the tissue has grown around the fixture, a rod is implanted that extends through the skin, which can be inserted and clasped to a prosthetic. The patient is then required to go through six months of training before being fitted with a customized prosthetic.
A 2014 study published in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation [archives-pmr.org] found that amputees using the device reported increased mobility, comfort, and function. Amputees using this device also don't have to worry about issues such as heat and chafing that prosthetic sockets give.
