George LIfe Long Congenital Experience Q&A 1

Lead Prosthetist George Villarruel discusses working with the congenital limb population.
Background:
Congenital amputees are one of the most difficult population of patients to work with. A prosthetist needs the experience to recognize that the anatomy in regard to bone structure, nerve innervation, muscular presence and function is often abnormal. As lifelong amputees, congenital patients are very tuned in to how they feel their prosthesis should function, and it is our job to help them reach those goals with the proper device.
Question: What are the unique challenges when fitting a congenital patient?
A congenital does not have the normal musculature, nerve innovation, bony structure that you might expect with someone who suffered a traumatic amputation in a congenital case, because many of those things are absent or definitely different than normal, The expectation of what the patient is going to be able to achieve can aesthetically, is going to be different.
Question: What issues face congenital limb patients as they age?
The older they get, The challenge then becomes the stress and strain that they are experiencing on their sound side, since that is the side that is having to do the majority of the work in performing activities of daily living.
Learn more about Practitioner George and his congenital limb experience,
collieroandp.com/prosthetics/...
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Resources Articles:
Syme Amputation, what is it?
www.footcaremd.org/conditions...
food for thought: Why some people choose not to wear a prosthesis
www.armdynamics.com/upper-lim...
Congenital Differences resources - blogs - podcasts
National and state resources
new-horizons.org/cmtamp.html
Amputee Coalition
Parents of children with limb loss resources
www.armdynamics.com/upper-lim...
Lucky Fin Project (kids)
luckyfinproject.org/links-res...