Vice Chair Clinical Affairs
Chief, Orthopedic Trauma and Fracture Surgery
Director, Limb Restoration Program
Osseointegration of the limb is a surgical procedure used for the permanent placement of artificial limbs connected to the human skeleton. A metal implant is inserted into the amputated extremity bone. The connector passes through the skin and attaches
to the prosthesis.
More than half of patients with lower-limb amputation who use socket prostheses experience at least one fall annually. These falls are primarily attributed to reduced proprioception which negatively affects balance. A promising alternative to socket prostheses are osseointegrated prostheses that involve direct fixation of the prosthetic limb to the residual limb through a bone-anchored implant, yet its effect on balance remains unknown.
As more people with amputations choose osseointegration (OI), prosthetists across the country are learning how to support this patient base.
About 2,000 patients across the world have undergone the procedure to have titanium implanted inside their bones to connect to their prostheses. About 500 of those patients have received the Osseoanchored Prostheses for the Rehabilitation of Amputees
(OPRA) Implant System, the only US Food and Drug (FDA)-Approved osseointegration solution in the United States.
Lauren Malinowitzer never imagined she would spend an entire year sitting in a recliner, deeply depressed from an orthopedic surgery gone wrong. But dead nerves in her right ankle stole her mobility, and daily battles with chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) filled her with despair. During one especially bad morning in 2019, Malinowitzer felt the only way out of her agony was to stop living altogether. She wrote goodbye notes to her family and stashed them away. Then she went off to a medical appointment in Manhattan that changed everything.
by Jason W. Stoneback, MD
Join us as internationally-recognized faculty discuss major advancements in amputation surgery, osseointegration, and prosthetic technology.
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