MSc/PgDip/PgCert Prosthetics & Orthotics Rehabilitation Studies

The class provides an overview of the current practice of prosthesis provision in terms of prescription manufacture, fitting and appropriate biomechanical and therapy theory.

This class is only for physicians, surgeons and therapists.

This class provides an overview of the current practice of orthosis provision in terms of orthosis prescription, manufacture, fitting and appropriate biomechanical and therapy theory.

This class is only for physicians, surgeons and therapists.

This class is intended to inform you about the ideas and principles behind evidence-based practice. It will focus on practical and clinically relevant lessons on improving healthcare services from current national and international work.

The implementation of clinical governance will be considered. You'll review the economic impact of implementation and be directed towards relevant references on research. The course will demonstrate how the results of such research have been put into practice.

During walking, the forces generated at the ground are transferred to the skeletal system via the soft tissue interface within the prosthesis or orthosis. The patient will only wear a device if it is comfortable and the magnitudes of the forces are within tolerable levels during use.

This class will teach/revise those basic mechanical subjects with which you'll be required to be familiar with such as force, moments, static equilibrium, etc.

The forces and moments about the joints of the leg generated during walking and the ways in which the stump-device interface forces generated during walking with prostheses or orthoses are accommodated during manufacture of the device will be covered.

The effect of the stump-device interface forces on the materials used to make prostheses and orthoses will be examined.

The Introductory Biomechanics module is a pre-requisite for this class unless prior learning is demonstrated and accepted.

This class provides an understanding of the forces generated during walking with a lower limb prosthesis.  It looks at:

• the effects of these forces on the patient and the prosthesis
• the influence on these forces of mal-alignment and the subsequent effect on the gait pattern of the patient
• reasons for gait deviations, other than those of poor socket rectification and alignment
• the effect on the stump/socket interface forces of different socket types
• the requirements of prosthetic feet and knee mechanisms and prescription criteria based on mechanical characteristics

The Introductory Biomechanics class is a pre-requisite for this class unless prior learning is demonstrated and accepted.

An orthosis should exert, as closely as possible, the correct magnitude of force in the best pattern just to overcome the patients’ problem, and no more. Over-bracing can created unnecessary difficulties for the patient and should be avoided by accurate prescription. Superimposed on such prescribed forces are those which are generated when a patient walks.

This class gives you an understanding of the force systems required to meet the different prescription aims of orthotic fitting. You'll look at:

• the magnitude of the forces generated during walking with lower limb orthoses
• the effects of these forces on the patient and the orthoses
• how mal-alignment and poor fit influence such forces
• the forces generated in the joints of the normal and pathological foot
• the effect of footwear on such forces
• the biomechanics of other prescribed devices e.g. standing frames, swivel walkers, etc

The Introductory Biomechanics module is a pre-requisite for this module unless prior learning is demonstrated and accepted.

Human gait has been a subject of interest and study for a considerable period.  It's only relatively recently that instrumented gait analysis has been sufficiently refined to be of clinical use.  Human gait, whether in health or disease, is a complex activity and remains a difficult area to tackle.  To make an impact in the clinic it's necessary to have a systematic approach to defining the problem of interest, establishing the means and methods of assessment and interpreting the findings.  The clinical acceptability of any data depends very much on the ease of obtaining the results and on their presentation.  Given that the information may be obtained conveniently and quickly, it must then be presented in a palatable form.  Without a careful plan of action and without clear knowledge about what can and cannot be achieved, the likely outcome will be disappointment.

This module is intended to give you an appreciation of the methods and levels of accuracy of those gait assessment techniques that are currently available.  They range from the simple to the sophisticated, (or the inexpensive to the costly), and the advantages and limitations of each will be explored.  The interpretation of the data and its relevance to clinically observed conditions will be discussed.

This class is only for professional prosthetists and orthotists.

The aims of the class is to increase awareness of the state-of-the-art in prosthetic design and implementation, as well as practical awareness of the limitations and gaps in knowledge.  Good working knowledge of the likely impact of technological trends will be achieved.

This class is only for professional prosthetists and orthotists.

You'll review the theoretical and practical basis of orthosis provision in terms of prescription, manufacture, fitting and appropriate biomechanical and therapy theory. You'll also consider the major barriers to progress and the likely impact of technology on the field.

To understand the theoretical and practical issues involved in data collection and analysis through practical case study and through work focused on a personal research project.