Prosthetic Fabrication
In-House Fabrication Allows Us To Provide Superior Patient Service.
Virginia Prosthetics is proud to distinguish itself from many other O&P providers in that we have our own central fabrication facility located at our Roanoke office. In today’s business model where many companies have turned to outsourcing most or virtually all of their orthotic and prosthetic fabrication to manufacturing companies located elsewhere in the country, Virginia Prosthetics has always believed that in order to provide the highest level of patient service, we must perform our own fabrication.
Having an in-house fabrication facility allows us to eliminate the majority of errors that are inherent with communicating detailed information long distance from one person to another, i.e. from the practitioner who actually evaluates and measures the patient to the production worker who has never seen the patient and must make the device without the benefit of the practitioners supervision and input.
At Virginia Prosthetics, the same highly trained practitioner who evaluates and measures you also fabricates or works hand in hand with the technician who fabricates your device. This process ensures that the orthotic or prosthetic device you receive will have the highest degree of intimate fit and finish available.
In addition to the quality and fit advantages, manufacturing in-hose allows us to produce and deliver the finished device with minimal interruption to the schedule and any necessary adjustments or modifications can be made immediately during the fitting appointment. This allows the patient to return to their everyday lives that much more quickly.
Basic Steps in the Making of a Prosthesis
The purpose of an external prosthetic is to replace the functional and cosmetic attributes of a missing body part. At Virginia Prosthetics, we concentrate on prosthetics those patients who have lost an upper or lower limb. The prosthetics industry has seen more growth in the engineering and development of the mechanical functioning of prosthetic devices in the last 20 years than it has since the first prosthetic device was fitted in ancient Egypt more than 2,000 years ago.
Virginia Prosthetics is proud to be an industry BETA test facility. This means that of all the O&P providers nationwide we are one of a handful that prosthetic component manufacturers utilize in the development and evaluation of new prosthetic devices. This positions us to be aware of new products long before they come on the market and to already have an intimate working knowledge with these products when they are available.
Evaluation and Measurement
As discussed in our section “What should I expect”, when you are ready for your first prostheses you will meet with one of our certified and experienced practitioners to evaluate your current condition and assess what it is that you need to fully regain your life, your independence, and any special goals you have set. During this appointment we will measure you for what is termed a “diagnostic socket”, this socket will be a temporary socket that allows us to evaluate the fit and to determine any modifications that need to be made to your “definitive socket”.
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PICTURE 1 Using the latest technology, we obtain a digital image of the residual limb using a laser imaging device called "T-Ring". The ring ispassed over the residual limb as it transmits precise measurement data to the computer CAD program. |
PICTURE 2 An alternative method of obtaining a replica of a patients residual limb is by “casting”. Though this method has generally been replaced by digital imaging, we find that for some patients, casting is still the best method available. |
Creating Your Limb
The first stages in the fabrication of a prosthesis are similar whether it is a “diagnostic” or a “definitive” socket. Only the first step, making a positive duplicate of your limb, will be different depending on how we arrived at the outside dimensions.
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PICTURE 1 If we cast you using the casting technique,we will fill the hollow cast impression with plaster to make a “positive”. |
PICTURE2 If we used the T-Ring to take dimensions, we then load the digital file into our carver and create a “positive” using a special rigid foam block. |
Once we have a positive form, the next step is the careful modification by removal and or addition of material so as to accommodate any special fitting requirements and provide the most intimate final fit possible. Your practitioner will do these modifications themselves since they are familiar with your own unique fitting requirements.
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PICTURE 1 |
PICTURE 2 |
Socket Fabrication
Once we finish making all necessary modifications and checking the mold for accuracy, we are now ready to make the socket that will act as the all important connection between your residual limb and your prosthetic device, whether that is an upper or a lower extremity. Depending on what type of socket is desired will determine what specific material and the method of fabrication used will be.
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PICTURE 1 If the socket is to be a thermo plastic then the process will involve vacuum forming a thermoplastic over the final mold. |
PICTURE 2 If the socket is to be a laminated type than we will use woven carbon fiber and resins to form the finished socket. |
When the forming of the socket is completed it then travels back to the technician’s bench for fitting and attachment of the mechanical components of your prostheses. Once all this is done the technician and your practitioner will inspect the initial alignment of the components and perform a final inspection. Once we are confident that your prostheses is finished and ready to be fitted it is placed in the delivery area and the front office is notified to contact you for an appointment to get your prostheses.
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PICTURE 1 |
PICTURE 2 |
Whether it’s a new amputee getting their first leg, or one of our many existing patient replacing an older prostheses that no longer fits, every time we deliver a prosthesis everyone at Virginia Prosthetics gets a great feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction that we can help people to help themselves and to regain their lives and do whatever it is they want to do.
