POST – PPAM Aid – Patients practice walking early
Category:posts 
We are happy to share news about our physical therapy training aid, which allows amputees to start walking before his/her leg is ready. This project was made possible in the physical therapy department of our partner organization, FUNPROBO. One of the clinic’s volunteers, Amy Souster, (sent by BWD) bought a new physical therapy aid which allows amputees to stand up and practice balance and exercise before their prosthetic limb has been attached.
The aid is basically an inflatable bag contained within a metal frame. The patient inserts his/her residual limb into the bag and the entire system is supported by a shoulder harness. This device gives the patients a great boost of confidence that they can walk again. This device is called a PPAM Aid, which stands for “Pneumatic Post-Amputation Mobility Aid“. Although it is not not well known in the US, nor Latin America, it should be. Now every amputee can practice walking before his or her limb is ready, and therefore, greatly ease the transition to using their new prosthetic limb(s). The patients also adapt to their final prosthesis much faster if they have first practiced in the PPAM Aid.
Since that time, Amy has also done her own fundraising, and along with the efforts of Mr. Michael Higginbottom and family, they purchased and donated an additional PPAM Aid system. In addition, they donated the expensive, but necessary, pump system which can maintain the bag at the exact pressure so as not to injure the patient.
If you would like to support purchases of future physical therapy equipment, then you can donate here
