What a gadget! This scaffolding enclosing my leg (otherwise known as an external fixator) is worth as much a small car. ...But don't get any ideas about undoing it and leaving my leg dangling in the breeze! They are only used once, with the exception of those that are "scrapped" and sent to India.If anyone says "I've never seen one of those before!" then you can now educate them:
The modern method was adapted by Professor Gavril Abramovich Ilizarov in the 1950s after having to treat orthopedic conditions in the Kurgan region of Siberia, but like most new ideas the first use seems to have appeared in ancient Greece!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_fixationIt is based on the same mechanical concept as a flight simulator used to train pilots. Flight Sim's need to be able to swing around in all directions so that the poor air-sick trainee gets used to hitting the brown paper bag in motion. The 6 angled struts can change length according to a fixed algorithm, and so can change the position of one ring with respect to the other through all dimensions (except the 4th). In aerodynamic terms (isn't aero-dy-manic a much better word?) the rings can rotate, pitch or yaw. And that means that the fixed bone can be repositioned as required.
In the flight sim, the struts are hydraulic rams, in the limb reconstruction device, they are simple screws.The repositioning is done slowly, 1-2 mm per day, to avoid damage to s
oft tissue and more importantly, the nerves. The consultant displays the Xray pictures on a PC and draws various lines to work out where the bones should be as compared
to where they are. Th
e programme then calculates the adjustments needed to correctly align the busted limb. The wearer makes the adjustments every day, preferably in the morning due t
o the period of pain that will follow (not easy to sleep after making the adjustments!). Sometimes the whole strut has to be changed to fit a longer or smaller one. That's done with an extra strut
added to temporarily brace the frame.
The problem... The markings are quite fine, and the device is on a leg quite
a long way away from the owners eyes. It's difficult to see the readings!
So the solution is a camera. I tried a web cam, which required too many hands and a quantum leap in spatial awareness and remote control. Try patting your head whilst rubbing your stomach whilst checking your performance in a double mirror... You get the idea. The best solution was the camera on my mobile phone. It auto-focuses, adapts for lig
hting conditions and is easily controlled.
So, take a photo to check current settings, then adjust, check with anoth
er photo. Mostly I get it right in 3 attempts.
But I've learned to take painkillers about 1 hour before making the adjustments. :-(
