Medium Plus Alpha Liner
Chris L Johnson
Description
Collection
Title:
Medium Plus Alpha Liner
Creator:
Chris L Johnson
Date:
1/30/2000
Text:
The Alpha liner has been one of those innovations that has enabled me to
do more with less hassle. I love the way the liner sticks to my skin,
becoming an extension of my body. I love the cushioning abilities and
durability of the 9mm version, and have had very few problems. I tend to
wear one liner until it dies, and have gotten a full year, typically, out
of one liner. Then I move on to number 2. A few times, I had to sew the
seam in a high wear area near the medial femoral condyle. Rubbing would
erode the thread. I was not using any socks at all just th eline
directly against the socket. I'd sew the seam back together, then push
in a little silicone seal into the suture line, and top off with talc for
friction reduction. Overall, the liner has been less prone to problems
than previous products. The liner takes a shower with me once a week,
whether it needs it or not, and, against OWW's recommendation, I use a
thin layer of Vaseline on my skin every morning before donning to protect
my skin. I have had no skin problems as I did with silicone liners.
I know there are many fine solutions available in liners, with, I'm sure,
more to come. For me, the Alpha has been a Godsend. I do have
particular interest in what Carl Caspers is doing the variations on the
TEC theme, so I'll have to experiment further. The Alpha is, however,
still the best I liner I have found. As a known guinea pig, I thought
I'd pass on a recent discovery related to the Alpha.
One problem I have had with the Apha was during the break-in period. I
have used the 9mm Medium for years. Once it would stretch out, it would
hang right in there for a long time, but break in was painful, as the
compression on my thigh could get uncomfortable. My thighs are more
muscular than those of the typical amputee. Fortunately, I have good
length (about 9) and, after a few misses, good surgery, so I can exert
enough force to keep my muscle mass up. Being essentially a skinny guy,
I unfortunatley also have a tapered and rather bony residuum, distally.
So the Medium was too small proximally. I can wear a Large, but that is
a bit loose distally.
When I heard about the new Medium Plus, I hopped on the OWW website.
Apparently, they have had requests for a liner suitable for people lie me
with muscular thighs and narrow residua. The Medium Plus is the size of
a Large proximally, while still being a Medium, distally.
I decided to chance using this new liner for a new socket, and have found
it an improvement over the Medium. Fits perfect out of the box, and I no
longer have to break in the proximal aspect like wrestling a wild horse
into submission.
Hope you all find this information useful. I had detailed
circumferential measurements of my residuum, but unfortunately, that's at
the office, as is my measuring tape. If anyone needs that for comparison
to patients/clients/just plain Bob, I can probably dig it up.
Chris Johnson
<Email Address Redacted> (personal address)
<Email Address Redacted> as Director of Engineering at College Park
********************
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If you have a problem unsubscribing,or have other
questions, send e-mail to the moderator
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OANDP-L is a forum for the discussion of topics
related to Orthotics and Prosthetics.
Public commercial postings are forbidden. Responses to inquiries
should not be sent to the entire oandp-l list.
do more with less hassle. I love the way the liner sticks to my skin,
becoming an extension of my body. I love the cushioning abilities and
durability of the 9mm version, and have had very few problems. I tend to
wear one liner until it dies, and have gotten a full year, typically, out
of one liner. Then I move on to number 2. A few times, I had to sew the
seam in a high wear area near the medial femoral condyle. Rubbing would
erode the thread. I was not using any socks at all just th eline
directly against the socket. I'd sew the seam back together, then push
in a little silicone seal into the suture line, and top off with talc for
friction reduction. Overall, the liner has been less prone to problems
than previous products. The liner takes a shower with me once a week,
whether it needs it or not, and, against OWW's recommendation, I use a
thin layer of Vaseline on my skin every morning before donning to protect
my skin. I have had no skin problems as I did with silicone liners.
I know there are many fine solutions available in liners, with, I'm sure,
more to come. For me, the Alpha has been a Godsend. I do have
particular interest in what Carl Caspers is doing the variations on the
TEC theme, so I'll have to experiment further. The Alpha is, however,
still the best I liner I have found. As a known guinea pig, I thought
I'd pass on a recent discovery related to the Alpha.
One problem I have had with the Apha was during the break-in period. I
have used the 9mm Medium for years. Once it would stretch out, it would
hang right in there for a long time, but break in was painful, as the
compression on my thigh could get uncomfortable. My thighs are more
muscular than those of the typical amputee. Fortunately, I have good
length (about 9) and, after a few misses, good surgery, so I can exert
enough force to keep my muscle mass up. Being essentially a skinny guy,
I unfortunatley also have a tapered and rather bony residuum, distally.
So the Medium was too small proximally. I can wear a Large, but that is
a bit loose distally.
When I heard about the new Medium Plus, I hopped on the OWW website.
Apparently, they have had requests for a liner suitable for people lie me
with muscular thighs and narrow residua. The Medium Plus is the size of
a Large proximally, while still being a Medium, distally.
I decided to chance using this new liner for a new socket, and have found
it an improvement over the Medium. Fits perfect out of the box, and I no
longer have to break in the proximal aspect like wrestling a wild horse
into submission.
Hope you all find this information useful. I had detailed
circumferential measurements of my residuum, but unfortunately, that's at
the office, as is my measuring tape. If anyone needs that for comparison
to patients/clients/just plain Bob, I can probably dig it up.
Chris Johnson
<Email Address Redacted> (personal address)
<Email Address Redacted> as Director of Engineering at College Park
********************
To unsubscribe, send a message to: <Email Address Redacted> with
the words UNSUB OANDP-L in the body of the
message.
If you have a problem unsubscribing,or have other
questions, send e-mail to the moderator
Paul E. Prusakowski,CPO at <Email Address Redacted>
OANDP-L is a forum for the discussion of topics
related to Orthotics and Prosthetics.
Public commercial postings are forbidden. Responses to inquiries
should not be sent to the entire oandp-l list.
Citation
Chris L Johnson, “Medium Plus Alpha Liner,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 24, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/213457.
