The Future Options for Amputees: What You Should Know

Health & Medical Blog

There are various treatments and options that people who have lost a limb can use to help resume their lives feeling more complete and whole. And, of course, there are new and innovative options in the works to even further help amputees heal and adapt in the future. So get to know more about the future of treatments for amputees so that you know what can possibly help you or someone you love. 

Bionic Hands (That Are Affordable)

One of the newest innovations in helping people who have lost a hand, is newer and less expensive bionic hand technologies. Through the use of 3-D printing technology, bionic hands can be quickly and easily created and customized to suit the individual amputee and their needs. 

These new customized robotic hands are still in development, but the idea is that it will have a range of movement and control  to make it as similar to using a natural hand as possible. 3-D printing technology would allow these limbs to be created for a fraction of the current cost of existing robotic limbs making them far more accessible to a wide variety of people who are missing hands. 

Regrowing New Limbs

Perhaps the most innovative and scientifically challenging developing technologies for helping amputees, is the idea of regrowing new limbs for amputees using stem cells. While this treatment option is not fully developed or figured out yet, scientists and researchers are making strides in developing these options. 

Recently, scientists have successfully grown a rat limb from stem cells and even attached to a living rat to see if blood would flow through the limb. These tests were successful. However, the limbs grown are not yet fully functional as scientists do not yet know how the nerves in the body will react with the grown tissue to fully control movements and functions.

The next step following working with rats will be primates and eventually humans. While this is clearly an option that has a great deal of experimentation and research left before they will be widely available, the prospect is one to look forward to and keep an eye out for. 

Now that you have an idea of where the future of limb replacement for amputees is going, you know what to look out for and look forward to in the future. So, keep an eye out for new research and innovations coming out soon. For more information on artificial limbs, talk to a professional like Cotton Orthotic and Prosthetic.

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31 July 2015

Help Others Make Health Decisions when They Cannot

One day I was playing a game of basketball with a friend, and the friend I was playing ball with tripped and took a hard fall to the ground. He hit his head hard, but he insisted he was okay and just wanted to go home and take a nap. I knew in my heart that he was not thinking clearly, and I didn't feel right letting him go home. I talked him into letting me take him to the hospital, and after some tests, it was determined he had a bad concussion. The doctors told me that if I had let him go home and sleep, things could have taken a turn for the worse. I created this blog to remind everyone to look out for each other after injuries. Not everyone thinks clearly after a head injury, and just being a good friend could save a life.