Argumentative Essay On Prosthetics

Medical advancements are being made all the time, new ways to operate on people, better ways to treat diseases are being found, and prosthetics are changing dramatically. “Over the past 30 years, medical advancements helped add five years to U.S. life expectancy and reduce fatalities by more than half” (“Value of Medical Technology”). About two million people in the United States are amputees (“Limb Loss Statistics”). Technology research on prosthetics has improved tremendously over the years. There are now many different models of prosthetics that amputees can use. Most prosthetics are aimed to help injured military soldiers (Snedden 11). Scientists are working on making these products more suitable for human activities and movements. According to a medical technology book, to start out the prosthetic process the doctors insert a titanium rod into the patient’s bone before putting an attachable limb on the amputated limb. This rod must stick out through the skin as well to make a seal, giving the amputee a less chance of bacteria getting
Invented SPARKy, a prosthetic that works with the lower leg to help an amputee walk and more around. They said that around 20 to 30 percent more energy is needed to walk with SPARKy compared to a person walking with normal leg. SPARKy works by taking the energy the tendons get from a heel hitting the ground to help the springs within the leg work and keep moving (Snedden 11-12). Another artificial limb they came up with was the C-leg. The C-leg is battery operated, and contains graphite and titanium to help the operator gain control of how they want their leg to move. Doctors use computer sensors to help fit it to the users strides at different speeds (Snedden 12-13). Scientist made the Myoelectric hand, which is able to communicate with the user’s muscles to move. It also is aimed to help the user grip things that a person with their own arms would be able to do with their hands (Snedden