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Salford Students Savor ‘White Nights’ Trip to Russia, Finland
By Nina Darke
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Salford University P&O students pose at the Prosthetic Museum in St. Petersburg. At extreme right is Dr. Valentina Volkova, who arranged clinical visits in the historic city for the students. |
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For several years, the students in the prosthetics
and orthotics course at Salford University have arranged a field
trip at the end of their third year of studying. This year was no
exception, and the chosen destinations were Helsinki, Finland, and
St. Petersburg, Russia.
Upon arrival in Helsinki, we settled into our hostel which was
situated next to the Olympic Stadium--where Bruce Springsteen was
performing for our first two nights! We then met up with Mikko,
Eva, and Keisa, who spent a semester at Salford University as
students in the previous academic year, and we all headed to a
restaurant for some dinner. We tried a selection of delicious
Finnish dishes, followed by some of the local beer in an area of
Helsinki traditionally frequented by students.
The following day was spent sightseeing after some of the group
had had a swim and sauna at the stadium pool. That day, we visited
the local market where an amazing array of souvenirs and local food
was offered. We then took a boat to the zoo, which is situated on
one of the many islands around Helsinki's beautiful coastline.
Clinical Visits in Helsinki
The next day, we were met by Markku Ripatti, a lecturer and
practitioner in prosthetics and orthotics, who organized our
clinical visits in Helsinki. First, we went to Respecta, a large
rehabilitation facility where patients can receive treatment and be
advised on a range of rehabilitation aids. Veli-Matti Lempinen gave
us a presentation on the history of the facility and a thorough
tour of the workshops and clinical areas. Finnish students in the
prosthetics and orthotics course undergo some of their training at
this center, and in the past, it has been a placement center for a
student from Salford University. After leaving this center, we
traveled to Soleus, a small private orthotics workshop, where we
observed staff producing various orthoses and footwear.
On our final day in Helsinki, we traveled to the Helsinki
Polytechnic [Institute] and visited its prosthetic and orthotic
training school. This school has been training prosthetists and
orthotists in Finland for several years, as well as students from
other healthcare professions. We were taken on a tour around the
Polytechnic and were all impressed by how clean and well equipped
the workshops and clinic areas are.
Learning, Fun in St. Petersburg
That afternoon, we traveled to St. Petersburg on the Sibilius,
which is a beautiful old-style Russian train. We were all looking
forward to seeing St. Petersburg, and this was made all the more
exciting as our trip was timed to coincide with the end of the
300th Anniversary Celebrations of the city and the Festival of the
White Nights. ("White Nights" is the period around the summer
solstice when the sun does not dip sufficiently below the horizon
for the sky to get dark).
Dr. Volkova, a major collaborating researcher with the
University of Salford, who is based at the St. Petersburg
Scientific and Practical Center of Medical and Social Expertise,
Prosthetics, and Rehabilitation of the Disabled, arranged our
clinical visits in St. Petersburg.
DiaSled Device
On our first day, we visited that institute where we were shown
the DiaSled in-shoe pressure-measuring device. This is a
commercially available and novel system of measuring in-shoe
plantar pressures developed by a team of researchers led by Dr.
Smirnova. The DiaSled system senses the pressure distribution over
the plantar surface of the foot by using an array of small pressure
transducers. Dr. Smirnova explained how this device can be used to
assess the performance of in-shoe orthoses and can also be used as
an aid to optimize orthotic prescription.
Prosthetic History
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The Salford students take time to pose for their photo as they sightsee in Finland. Second from left is Glyn Heath, PhD, who helped arrange and guide the trip. |
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We also visited the Prosthetics Museum within the
Institute, which holds exhibits from as early as the seventeenth
century. It gave an excellent introduction to the history of
prostheses, including materials and styles of the past, but it was
also fascinating to see how certain elements of these designs are
still incorporated into present-day prostheses. It was interesting
to know that the museum had been visited by Queen Elizabeth II, a
fact that the guide was only too pleased to reveal to us.
Clinical Visits
We were then taken to the children's ward of the hospital where
we saw children at various stages of their prosthetic
rehabilitation, and we also were given a presentation on the
various types of orthopedic surgery performed at the department. We
were then met once again by Dr. Volkova, who explained a novel
computerized method of measuring, designing, and producing
functional and aesthetic clothing for people with impaired
upper-limb function, as well as for people with abnormal
posture.
St. Petersburg Life and Sights
That evening was spent at a traditional bar, which Glyn
regularly visits while in St. Petersburg. We met up with one of his
several friends there, who showed us the correct way to eat dried
fish, a traditional accompaniment to beer in Russia. However, not
many of us chose to try it ourselves! That night also saw us
sampling true St. Petersburg vodka for the first time. It was so
good that many of us bought bottles to take home.
The following day was spent sightseeing in St. Petersburg,
including the Palace and State Hermitage, which fully lives up to
its reputation as one of the world's greatest art and treasure
museums. There are more than three million exhibits in the
Hermitage's collection, and even though only a fraction of these
are ever on display at one time, this was still far too much for us
to see in just a couple of hours! However, it was long enough for
us all to be bowled over by the truly magnificent and extravagant
interior of the Palace buildings.
Our final morning in St. Petersburg was spent on a bus tour
around the city, and after we had all stocked up on matryoshki
(Russian dolls), we caught the train back to Helsinki, ready for
our flight home.
Thanks for a Fascinating Trip
This really did prove to be a most varied and fascinating trip,
and all the students would like to thank everyone we met in
Helsinki and St. Petersburg for making us all so welcome and for
taking the time to show us around. We would also like to say a
special "thank you" to Glyn Heath, since the trip not only would
not have been possible without him, it would not have been nearly
as much fun! Dr. Heath's links with centers in both cities made the
trip possible, as did sponsorship received from Bauerfeind, Bolton
Bros., British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (BLESMA),
North Sea Plastics, Otto Bock HealthCare, and Rehabilitation
Services. Many thanks to all these companies and organizations.
Their contributions were much appreciated and used wisely! Nina Darke is a fourth-year student in the Directorate of Prosthetics & Orthotics, University of Salford, United Kingdom. 
Table Of Contents - October 2004
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