Historic Devices
One of the joys of any major meeting is the chance for a glimpse of some of the surviving historic prostheses and orthoses made by our forbearers. The REHA meeting in Leipzig had several display cases full of wonderful examples of German craftsmanship using wood, leather, and similar historic materials. In most cases, they were adjacent to equally excellent examples of modern fabrication techniques. This juxtaposition was an excellent technique to highlight the similarities and differences between devices from widely differing eras.
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This is a German example of the historic "tilt table" prosthesis with locked hip and knee joints. In this era, "ultralight construction" meant such a molded leather exoskeletal design.
| This transfemoral prosthesis illustrates the beautiful craftsmanship inherent in creating an artificial limb from wood. It is covered with molded rawhide but has not been pigmented so the details of the socket banding and other aspects of the fabrication can be seen. Note the use of a polycentric knee and a very high lateral wall with Silesian Band; both enhance stability. [Leather socket in the background seems to have one of the original Modular endoskeletal set-ups.]
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Close-up of wooden socket clearly showing a sloping posterior-medial shelf and lower medial wall so the ramus can exit comfortably. We would consider these contours evidence of Ischial Containment in a modern prosthesis. The relatively flat area over the femoral triangle is also very reminiscent of what is considered "best practice" even today.
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Two gorgeous examples of yesteryear's spinal orthoses, showing the elegance that was possible using only leather, steel, and textiles.
| This thin, sleek, lightweight, and incredibly strong custom made laminated carbon fiber spinal orthosis was in the same showcase as the historic examples - illustrating that exquisite fabrication is still alive and well in this new millennium.
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