Hanger Orthopedic Group, Austin, Tex, will host its annual education fair through February 4 in the Reno area, where individuals who are thriving with bionic and other novel technology will be honored.

The event is being held at John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 1100 Nugget Ave, Sparks, Nev. The featured speakers are pediatric patients sharing stories of survival and overcoming adversity, and soldiers who lost limbs while fighting in the Iraq war.

New prosthetic and orthotic technologies will be unveiled and on display, and nearly 800 clinicians are expected to gather to learn about advanced rehabilitative solutions.

Pediatric patients ranging from 7 months old to 16 years old participated in the opening ceremony. Among them are:

  • Amber Konkol, 16, who, when she was 1, was diagnosed with diplegic cerebral palsy. Despite the debilitating diagnosis, she participates in triathlons with her family. In June 2009, she was fit with the WalkAide on each of her legs, a device commercialized by Hanger’s subsidiary Innovative Neurotronics. The device combats foot drop due to cerebral palsy as in Konkol’s case, in addition to incomplete spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and multiple sclerosis. 
     
  • Latvia native Megan McKeon, 10, who at 5 months old lost one of her legs as a result of burns she suffered when her mother dropped a cigarette in her crib. The hospital in Latvia took over her care and began to perform experimental surgeries and procedures on her. McKeon endured 23 amputations to her leg, possibly without anesthesia. McKeon was adopted by a California couple. McKeon is a gymnast and she water and snow skis. Growing up without a limb, McKeon has been inspired by [removed]Winter[/removed], the dolphin with the prosthetic tail made my Hanger’s vice president of prosthetics. After reading the story of Winter, McKeon was inspired to wear her prosthetic leg several hours each day.

Below find highlights of the technology that will be on display at the fair:

  • Michelangelo, a new prosthetic hand by manufacturer Otto Bock that is not on the market yet, but slated for release this year.
  • The next generation bebionic hand, a fully articulating myoelectric hand by manufacturer RSL Steeper.
  • BioniCare® Knee System, an electrical stimulation treatment that is a nondrug, noninvasive option for osteoarthritis of the knee ,by manufacturer VQ OrthoCare.

Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc is a provider of orthotic and prosthetic patient care services worldwide. 

[Source: Hanger]