26 June 2023 12:27 am Views - 448
Colombo Friend-in-Need Society (CFINS) ingeniously equip a quadruple amputee with prosthetic limbs, crutches for balance, and resourceful mechanical upper limbs, which efforts bring hope to less fortunate quadruple amputees, showing the possibilities of mobility and independence.
The team that helped him become independent
Living without all four limbs can be a very challenging experience for any person, and more so when it is the result of an amputation.
A person who has lost all limbs due to amputations is known as a “Quadruple Amputee”, and the process to provide mobility to such an individual is incredibly complex. Aside from enabling movement, limbs also provide the body with the sense of the body’s position and effort needed for movement. Called Proprioception or Kinaesthesia, that is what enables us to move without thinking or looking.
Therefore, equipping a quadruple amputee with prosthetics is not merely a question of restoring motion, but the risk of accidents (Particularly head injuries), due to instability or imbalance, also needs to be considered.
Solutions to these include the use of Myoelectric prosthetics (Which utilise the electricity generated by muscles to help the amputee move), and bionic prosthetics (Which incorporate advanced technology for a more intuitive and seamless
user experience).
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The Construction Supervisor who was injured and lost his limbs |
However, both options are extremely expensive and, therefore, beyond the reach of the economically disadvantaged.
This narrative brings us to the remarkable efforts of the Colombo Friend-in-Need Society (CFINS). Some months ago, a construction supervisor was injured when a box bar he was holding accidentally came into contact with a live electric wire, which left him badly wounded.
Tragically, all four limbs had to be amputated, and the challenge of providing him with mobility fell upon the technical team at CFINS, headed by Mr Devarajan, the Prosthetist and Orthotist.
CFINS, which offers prosthetics, as well as physiotherapy, to those in need (all free of charge), provided him with two lower limb prosthetics. To help him maintain his balance, they ingeniously attached crutches to his upper limbs, allowing him to walk independently.
They also crafted mechanical upper limbs (resourcefully using materials from old prosthetics) to help him carry out simple tasks, such as holding a cup, when using a wheelchair.
The support and services of CFINS have given this individual, who otherwise could not have afforded the expensive alternatives, a renewed sense of independence, offering him a glimpse of hope after his world suddenly fell apart.
This case is believed to be the first instance in our country where a quadruple amputee has successfully gained the ability to walk with such prosthetics, which brings a ray of hope for the less-fortunate quadruple amputees, whose lives may be at a standstill, showing that the possibilities for mobility and independence are within their grasp.