Sebastian Giede

A prosthetist is a person that has been certified to fit prostheses to residual limbs of the upper and lower extremities. The fitting of lower extremity prostheses, for example, involves making a socket that fits the residuum as a first step. The socket is usually manufactured by glass or carbon fiber infused with acrylic resin or from thermoplastics over a positive model of the residuum nowadays 3D printing is getting more and more involved. The socket is connected to a foot or ankle assembly and in the case of above knee amputation, an artificial knee. The connecting components are usually an aluminum tube with two part pyramid alignment devises one at each end. One of the devices connects to the ankle and the other one to the socket. They allow the foot to be placed in proper position to support the persons weight with the least possible lateral forces acting through the system. Prostheses are aligned with the client walking, while the prosthetist observes the gait and corrects for any deviations from optimized movement when the leg is in the air and for its position at heel strike and toe off. Certified Orthotists are unique paramedical health professionals who provide biomechanical devices called orthoses to physically disabled persons to enable them to function better. The field of orthotics involves the design, fabrication and fitting of orthoses (braces or splints) intended to prevent or correct deformities, protect a painful part of the body or improve the function of a weakened extremity. This may include anything from custom fabricated arch supports (foot orthotics) to braces for the knee, back, shoulder, armor skull.