Secondary Injuries and Farming with an Amputation or Spinal Cord Injury

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Secondary Injuries and Farming with an Amputation
or Spinal Cord Injury

• Therese Willkomm, PhD, ATP
• National AgrAbility Project

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Prosthetic Entanglement

• I was unloading hay, bales of hay with twine and
  its got a little bit of a hook on it and it
  caught the twine. 80-pound bales of hay are
  flying and I am about 150 160 pounds. I just
  went along for the ride. The ride wasnt bad,
  its the sudden stop that gets you.

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Suggested Improvements for Lower Extremity
Prosthetic Devices

• A lower extremity prosthesis that will function
  better when walking through a field (e.g.
  soybeans) or on an incline surface
• A foot that bends when it gets caught in weeds
• Test sockets that are a little more durable for
  doing farm chores

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• A better socket solution for providing adequate
  ventilation
• Moisture control and protection during cold or
  hot weather
• A prosthetic leg that you can kneel on

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Suggested Improvements for Upper Extremity
Prosthetic Devices

• Titanium wrist and elbow units that dont break
• A cable that wont fray
• Provide extra screws and nuts
• Titanium pins
• A wrist unit that moves
• A quick release harness

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Suggestions Made By Farmers

• Take your time, try to analyze the situation
  before you get into it. Recognize your
  limitation, not to push yourself. Ask for help
  when you need it, it can be hard to do that, too.
  Dont put yourself into a dangerous spot if you
  absolutely dont have to.
• I learned whenever I fall to tuck my arm in
• I Always make sure that when I am getting off my
  tractor, I always step on my good leg.

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• You have to slow down a little bit.
• Dont jump! Step down
• Dont hop on one leg because it hampered my
  recovery.
• I think, dont overuse a body part more than
  its designed for and be careful with your need
  to pull yourself, be careful how you are doing
  it. If you need to walk more with one leg than
  with the other, dont overdo it. Your joints and
  muscles cant take that. Also, big issue, keep
  the weight down.

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DISCUSSION

• Farming will continue to be a labor intensive
  occupation requiring the worker to perform tasks
  that a wheelchair or prosthetic device was not
  designed to do.
• Farmers, outdoor enthusiasts, and others who use
  this equipment can benefit from new designs and
  new materials that are more durable.
• More documentation and research needed to justify
  cost benefit of recommended improvements in
  prosthetic devices and wheelchairs when used on
  the farm.
• Slowing down and think before doing
• Split second reactions behavior doesnt change

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Thanks

• United States Department of Agriculture
• The Cooperative State Research, Education and
  Extension Service (CSREES),