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State-of-the-Art Care in Kenya

Amparo prosthetics help CURE go mobile

By CURE International

August 23^rd, 2019

Amparo is a German-based company that is helping shape the history of making prosthetics. It started as a university project and turned into a company wanting to give people easier access to prostheses. The company began in 2016, and the Confidence Socket came onto the market in 2018. The Confidence Socket not only brings mobility to patients but also mobility to the people making the prostheses! Instead of bringing the patients to a workshop to fit the prosthesis, you can do mobile services and fit patients anywhere.

Supplies, including the heating tent, the vacuum pump, and the pre-made prosthetic socket

Amparo’s prosthetic socket is already assembled, so once you’ve molded it to fit the patient, you can affix it to the rest of the prosthetic and make adjustments as needed. As time goes by, if the patient’s stump shape changes, you can simply remold the prosthetic socket by heating it up again, thanks to the re-moldable thermoplastic.

This is magic!

“This is magic!” Sammy said when he saw the molded socket. Technology is fun, and we’re grateful to share it with Sammy, a patient who has received prostheses from CURE Kenya in the past and now gets to try something new, thanks to Amparo! Wes works for Amparo and together with Purity, our ortho tech, they worked to fit Sammy with a new prosthesis.

So how does it all work? We’ll show you, step by step!

Step 1: Prepare the leg

After applying a comfortable liner to Sammy’s leg, Wes uses plastic wrap to compress Sammy’s leg to distribute the weight evenly when the prosthetic socket is being fitted.

Step 2: Prepare the socket

Wes takes an already assembled prosthetic socket and heats it for ten minutes in the portable oven tent, which is heated by a heat gun.

The socket is now hot and malleable; once it cools for five minutes, it can be fitted to Sammy’s leg.

Before fitting, Wes trims it a bit. He’ll trim more later.

Step 3: Fit the socket

Wes fits a prosthetic sock on Sammy’s leg before fitting the socket.

Wes fits the socket to Sammy’s leg, seals the socket, and uses a vacuum pump to pull the air out, creating a good and comfortable shape. Wes also does some manual molding to help the socket fit well.

Wes trims the socket more so it becomes the proper shape and uses the heat gun to give it clean edges.

Wes places the socket on Sammy’s leg. With the help of Lucas, who also works for Amparo, Sammy stands.

Step 4: Finish the socket

Purity and Wes assemble the rest of Sammy’s prosthesis.

Purity and Wes also apply a sleeve to the prosthesis to help it stay put on Sammy’s leg.

Sammy practices walking (some adjustments still need to be made).

I’m excited about this!

Purity, our ortho tech, being trained by Wes

“This is wonderful!” Purity said when we asked her about the technology. “If it works well, it would be a good thing ... It would be very helpful for those patients who come from far.” Our patients have had to be measured and fitted with prostheses on different days. With this technology, it’s possible to have the whole process done in only a day! “To me, it’s a good technology—an advanced one,” Purity told us.

There’s a chance this tech could be helpful on mobile clinics as well, taking away the necessity of our patients to come to CURE Kenya for their prosthetic fitting since this process is quick and mobile. We’ll watch over time to see how it helps CURE Kenya and in the meantime, be like Purity, who says: “I’m excited about this!”