Navigating the O&P Residency Roadmap

Welcome to The Academy Advantage, a personalized eNewsletter from The Academy

ACTION NEEDED: Medicare Expands Access to Microprocessor Prosthetic Knees. Public Comments are due on March 2, 2024.

New Course Alert: Critically Appraised Topics: A Guide to Creating Your Best CAT Submission

Participants will learn what a CAT is and get an overview of the peer review process.  They will also learn how to create a PICO question, synthesize evidence, and self-edit. The course is geared toward students, residents, and clinicians new to evidence-based practice principles.

The influence of nighttime bracing on curve progression is not affected by curve magnitude in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: A study of 299 patients

Acta Orthopaedica | 2 min. read

The efficacy of bracing larger curves in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients is uncertain. The authors of this research aimed to assess the influence of nighttime bracing in AIS patients with main curves exceeding 40° Cobb angle at brace initiation.

Academy members can access this research article abstract and more via O&P iQ.

Validation of portable in-clinic video-based gait analysis for prosthesis users

Scientific Reports | 17 min. read

Despite the common focus on gait during rehabilitation, there are few tools that allow clinicians to quantitatively characterize gait in the clinic. The authors of this study recently described an algorithm, trained on a large dataset from a clinical gait analysis laboratory, which produces accurate cycle-by-cycle estimates of spatiotemporal gait parameters, including step timing and walking velocity. The authors demonstrate that this system generalizes well to clinical care with a validation study on prosthesis users seen in therapy and outpatient clinics.

Academy members can access this research article abstract and more via O&P iQ.

Comparative effects of ankle-foot orthosis and functional electrical stimulation on gait endurance and participant preference in individuals with foot drop of central pathology: Systematic review

Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics  | 9 min. read

Ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) and functional electrical stimulation (FES) are commonly used interventions for patients with foot drop caused by a central neurological origin. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the available evidence on the improvement of gait endurance in people with foot drop caused by a central neurological origin when comparing the effectiveness of AFO and FES.

Academy members can access this research article abstract and more via O&P iQ.

Academy Past President Kate Allyn, CPO/L, FAAOP, receives Carlton Fillauer Award for Outstanding Contribution to Prosthetics Science and Practice

The Orthotics and Prosthetics Foundation for Education and Researched announced Kate Allyn, CPO/L, FAAOP, past president of the Academy and a consulting research prosthetist/orthotist at the University of Washington Rehabilitation Medicine and Bioengineering departments as the recipient of the  Carlton Fillauer Award for Outstanding Contribution to Prosthetics Science and Practice.

The Mobility is Freedom Fund (MiFF) Scholar Award Program announces an unrestricted research grant of $50,000

This grant supports the research and training of talented young rehabilitation science doctoral students who are interested in advancing knowledge, research, and publications related to multidisciplinary care for persons with limb loss.

College baseball player appears in game with prosthetic leg after boating accident

ABC News | 2 min. read

East Carolina sophomore Parker Byrd appeared in last week’s season-opening win with a prosthetic leg after having part of his right leg amputated following a 2022 boating accident. The school said Byrd is believed to be the first NCAA Division I baseball player to play in a game with a prosthetic leg.

How soccer is helping Ukrainian soldiers who have lost limbs in the war against Russia

CNN | 3 min. read

Breathing heavily, Oleksandr Malchevsky puts on his prosthesis and hurries home to his wife and son. The 39-year-old had just lost a soccer game, but he isn’t too upset. For him, the sport is more than just a game – it’s about helping his rehabilitation as he adjusts to civilian life.

Orthotists travel to Jamaica to help children who need leg braces

WKYT-TV | 2 min. read + 2 min. video

Gabriel Beversluis, CO, LO, is an orthotist at Bluegrass Bracing in Lexington, Kentucky. Part of his job is custom fitting  AFOs to help children with mobility issues walk. He has been doing this type of work for more than 20 years, but he doesn’t keep his skills in Kentucky. For the past 10 years, he has taken those skills on mission trips to a pediatric clinic in Negril, Jamaica.

Researchers trial phantom limb pain device

BBC | 2 min. read

An app-controlled device  that could help people with amputations reduce phantom limb pain is being trialled. The yet-to-be-named device, developed at Teesside University, is attached to the body with an adhesive patch. Very mild electrical stimulation is used to encourage neuroplasticity, rewiring the brain to better align with the amputated limb.

Revitalizing nerve regeneration: A leap in healing the central nervous system

Medriva | 3 min. read

Healing injuries to the central nervous system has been a longstanding challenge in the medical field due to the formation of fluid-filled cavities and scars that hinder tissue regeneration. In a promising development, researchers from Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University have made a significant breakthrough by creating an artificial cell environment to promote the survival and growth of stem cells. This innovative approach could revolutionize the treatment of brain and spinal cord injuries, and potentially advance prosthetic technology.