Other Allied Health Physical and Sensory Therapy Professionals
This unit group covers Allied Health Physical and Sensory Therapy Professionals not elsewhere classified. It includes Orthotists / Prosthetists, and Osteopaths.
A fitting day in the clinic
You are a prosthetist and orthotist working between a fitting room and a workshop, with several patients booked and a technician helping you. It is 9am. You have three fittings today, one of them with a time-pressured patient. The workshop is busy, and some of the day's problems are going to come from there.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
The new limb rubs near the top, and it's getting sore by afternoon. Can you just take a bit off the edge? I don't want to wait another week for a remake. I've got a lot on.
Quickly sand the edge down, since he asked for it, it seems small and he does not want to wait
The rubbing moves to another place, and now the fit around the whole socket is altered. A small fix without finding the cause can make things worse.
Look at his skin and the way he walks, find the cause and offer to adjust it today if you can
You find the pressure point is lower than where it hurts. You make a careful change, check it with him walking, and he leaves comfortable and not waiting another week.
Tell him that he needs to wear it longer to get used to it
Some limbs do take time, but this one rubs because of the fit. He tries for a week, ends up with a sore patch, and loses confidence.
Sana is getting married in three weeks and wants to walk down the aisle without a stick. Can you have her new brace ready by then? It's the only thing she's asked for.
Promise it will be ready, because it matters so much to her
The brace needs more fittings than you expected, and the week before the wedding it is still not right. The promise adds stress to a day that was meant to be happy.
Be honest about what is possible, book the fittings now and plan a backup
Ms Karimi hears the honest timeline, and you book three visits. The brace is ready a few days before the wedding, with a backup brace in case it is not comfortable.
Tell her you can't commit to a date and she'll have to wait and see how the fittings go
It is true that fittings are unpredictable, but she leaves anxious and with no plan. She tries a different clinic for a second opinion.
The usual material we use for this part is out of stock. I've found something similar that I think will work. It'll save a day, and I doubt anyone will know the difference. Should I use it?
Tell him to go ahead, since he knows the work well and the patient is waiting
It holds up for now, but the material wears differently and the limb needs re-doing sooner. You saved a day and lost a month.
Go ahead and use the substitute, but don't tell the patient
The patient later finds out and feels deceived. Even if it had worked, what goes into a device someone trusts with their body is something they should be told.
Check whether the substitute meets the requirements for this patient, and tell them what is happening
You find the substitute is not suitable for the load. The patient accepts a short delay, and the limb is made with the right material.
How it went
The workshop quietens and the day's fittings are done. Making limbs and braces mixes engineering, craft and conversation, and often means being honest about what is possible. Would you enjoy building something that fits one person exactly?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: A first limb for a netball player
A fictional case set in a clinic and workshop where artificial limbs and supportive braces are designed and fitted.
The situation
Rohan was a prosthetist who made artificial limbs. Mia, fifteen, had been born without the lower part of one leg. She wore a simple limb for daily life, but she wanted a new one for netball, and she had a trial with a school team in three weeks. She told Rohan she didn't care what it looked like, only that she wanted to move quickly. His first design was lightweight and suited her. But after her first week, she came in limping and with a rubbed patch on her skin.
What they did
Rohan asked Mia to describe the exact moment it started to hurt, and watched her walk and turn on the spot. He could see that the way the limb joined to her leg let her skin rub when she changed direction. He did not blame her. He changed the shape of the socket, and added a softer layer. He asked her to practise in short stretches rather than all at once, and phoned her at the end of the week. He also told her honestly that he wouldn't have it perfect in three weeks.
How it turned out
Mia made the trial, still adjusting. After the season, she had a new design with Rohan, built on what they had learned together. Rohan said the best part of the work was not the building but the listening.
What would you do?
- Why was it important for Rohan to watch Mia move?
- How would you tell someone a fitting might not be perfect by their deadline?
- What would you want a person making something for your body to understand?