Michael Schuch Consult Services, LLC

• Amputee: A person who has partial or total limb loss due to amputation.  Some causes of amputations in order of frequency are diabetes and peripheral vascular disease (poor circulation), trauma, cancer, congenital defects or deformities.

• Prosthetics: An allied health care profession in which the practitioners and their technicians provide care and  services to amputees, including design, fittings, and alignment of external artificial limbs.

•  Prosthesis (Prostheses):  The formal allied health term for an artificial limb, prosthesis is singular, one limb = prosthesis, prostheses is plural, two or more limbs = prostheses.

• Prosthetist:  The specialist practitioner who takes care of amputees who use and wear a prosthesis or prostheses.  The prosthetist evaluates and assesses amputee needs; recommends a course of action, including care and prosthesis design;  obtains impressions of the amputated limb via plaster or fiberglass wrap impression techniques or via scanning and computer aided design (CAD) techniques; selects appropriate components (such as feet, knees, hands, etc.) and designs and fabricates (or directs technician fabrication of) the prosthesis; provides initial fittings and dynamic alignment of the prosthesis; directs final fabrication and finishing of the the prosthesis; provides final fitting and delivery of the prosthesis and schedules and provides all related follow up care.

• Orthotics:  An allied health care profession in which the practitioners and their technicians provide care and services to persons requiring external bracing, for protection, support, correction of deformities, or replacement of function in external limbs, feet, back, neck, and head.

• Orthosis (Orhoses):  The formal allied health term for an external brace, othosis is singular, one brace = orthosis, orthoses is plural, two or more braces = orthoses.

• Orthotist:  The specialist practitioner who takes care of persons who require the use of an external or orthopedic type brace.  The orthotist evaluates and assesses personal needs; recommends a course of action, including care and orthosis design;  obtains impressions of the afftected limb, spine, or head/face via plaster or fiberglass wrap impression techniques or via scanning and computer aided design (CAD) techniques; selects appropriate components and materials and designs and fabricates (or directs technician fabrication of) the orthosis; provides initial fittings and alignment of the orthosis; directs final fabrication and finishing of the the orthosis; provides final fitting and delivery of the orthosis and schedules and provides all related follow up care.

• Rehabilitation:  To restore to good health or useful life, as through therapy and education.  Also, an allied health specialty practice and/or service.

•  Practitioner:  One who practices something, especially an occupation, profession, or technique.

• Consultant:  One who gives expert or professional advice.

• Expert witness:  One who provides opinion and advice based on evidence reviewed and their expertise in a given area or profession.

• Case:  In a legal sense, an action or a suit or just grounds for an action. The facts or evidence offered in support of a claim.

• Plaintiff:  The party that institutes a suit in a court.

• Defendant:  The party against which an action is brought, usually in a court.

• Deposition:  Testimony under oath, especially a statement by a witness that is written down or recorded for use in court at a later date.

• Lifetime cost estimation/projection:  An opinion by an expert in a recognized profession about potential or expected costs for medical or health related care for the expected remainder of an individual’s life.

Definitions provided by website author and/or American Heritage on-line dictionary.