{"id":2065,"date":"2020-03-26T13:16:39","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T13:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/?p=2065"},"modified":"2020-03-26T13:40:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T13:40:29","slug":"the-israeli-prosthetics-clinic-that-gives-people-and-animals-a-second-chance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/health-nutrition\/the-israeli-prosthetics-clinic-that-gives-people-and-animals-a-second-chance\/","title":{"rendered":"The Israeli Prosthetics Clinic That Gives People and Animals a Second Chance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Prosthetics in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0XwxBF3DU8M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find Avi Talmor and Micha Hayat, the technicians behind Technoleg located on Kibbutz Beerot Yitzhak, in their workshop taking measurements, using a process called lamination to make a prosthetic mold from carbon, making cosmetic finishes for the prosthetics, or sanding them down to the precise shape needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talmor and Hayat have been making prosthetics\nfor patients who have recently had amputations for 43 and 33 years,\nrespectively. These patients are given prescriptions from their doctors for\ntheir prosthetic, and from there, Technoleg develops their unique,\none-of-a-kind leg. Once the prosthetic is aligned for the patient, the patient\nreceived rehabilitation at the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom line is, Talmor and Hayat want their patients to be comfortable. They even have a \u201ccat-walk\u201d in their office that allows patients to walk with their prosthetic in order to make sure they are satisfied with their new leg. \u201cAt first, the prosthetic is something strange. It can be uncomfortable, painful, and they are unsure of how to move their leg. We try to make the socket (the area of the amputated leg that fits into the prosthetic) as comfortable as possible,\u201d says Hayat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"767\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-26-at-11.08.59-AM-767x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2083\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-26-at-11.08.59-AM-767x1024.png 767w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-26-at-11.08.59-AM-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-26-at-11.08.59-AM-768x1025.png 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-26-at-11.08.59-AM.png 914w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><figcaption><em>Avi Talmor and Micha Hayat are using a process called lamination to make a prosthetic mold from carbon. Photo by Sarah Vorsanger<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>A Success Story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Technoleg has many success stories, but one\nthat particularly stood out in Hayat\u2019s mind was a man named Zach. When Zach was\neight years old, a bus ran over his foot. Zach explains that after his\naccident, he had a constructed foot that was very problematic. \u201cI wasn\u2019t able\nto run; I could not walk more than 100 meters without having to give my foot a\nbreak.\u201d After 22 years, he decided to make a change. \u201cWhen I was 30 years old,\nI asked my doctor to amputate my foot because I wanted to start living again.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After his amputation, Zach received a\nprosthetic from Technoleg, and was in rehabilitation for about a month, where\nhe learned how to walk on his new and improved leg. \u201cNow, I can do everything I\ncould have never done with my bad foot. Not only did I go through the hard\nprocess of rehab, but I also committed my life to sports, and these days, I am\nboxing, snowboarding, surfing, and playing footvolley, a Brazilian sport, and even\nsoccer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After researching and realizing there was\nnot an all amputee soccer team in Israel, he started a team of his own. \u201cIt was\nmy dream to create this team,\u201d he explains. \u201cWith time, I got to know more and\nmore people with amputations. One thing led to another, and four months ago, we\nhad our first training session. We even have sponsors.\u201d Since then, the team\nhas had two international matches. \u201cOur goal is to get into the European\nchampionship next fall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Zach, who is a lawyer by profession, also gives motivational speeches to soldiers, school children, and athletes about his personal story. He also uses his Instagram (@viking.zach) as a platform to educate and show other amputees that they can still lead active lives. \u201cI chose to live a totally different life from my life before the amputation,\u201d Zach says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-26-at-1.14.57-PM-1-1024x721.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2077\"\/><figcaption><em>Talmor and Hayat want their patients to be comfortable. They even have a \u201ccat-walk\u201d in their office that allows patients to walk with their prosthetic in order to make sure they are satisfied with their new leg. Photo by Sarah Vorsanger<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Prosthetics for the Animals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talmor and Hayat have made prosthetics for\nall ages \u2013 from kids to the elderly. However, they recently decided to team up\nwith Freedom Farm Sanctuary in order to add animals to their list of patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Freedom Farm Sanctuary rescues animals from\nthe meat and dairy industries as well as experimental labs. Their goal is to\nmake people see farm animals the way they would see a domesticated pet. They first\nheard of Technoleg after they had produced prosthetics for dogs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meital Ben Ari, co-founder of Freedom Farm\nSanctuary, was looking for a clinic to come to the sanctuary in order to make an\northotic (a brace) for a sheep named Gary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAbout two years ago, we got a call from Freedom Farm Sanctuary asking us to make a prosthetic for a sheep, so we thought, why not?\u201d says Hayat. \u201cOf course, we had to learn the anatomy of animals in the process,\u201d he adds. They consulted many veterinarians in order to have all their questions answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Nir, the cow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, Technoleg has made prosthetics and braces for many different animals, including sheep, donkeys, even a cow named Nir. Nir, who was only one and a half at the time when the Freedom Farm Sanctuary rescued him from the Golan Heights, was missing a leg. Meital said, \u201cNir was supposed to be sent to slaughter, but we approached the farmer who owned him and said we would give him a good life and produce a prosthetic leg for him, if he would be willing to give him up.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it came to making the prosthetic,\nHayat remarks that \u201cin the beginning, the cow did not want to cooperate, but\nthen he saw that we were trying to help him and he relaxed.\u201d The cow was 350\nkgs (~772 lbs), so they had to make the prosthetic very strong in order to\nsupport his weight. It took two prosthetics and multiple trips from the\nworkshop to the Golan Heights, but after four months, it finally worked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nir is the first cow in Israel today to use a prosthetic leg. \u201cEveryone loved seeing Nir running around the farm! It wouldn\u2019t have happened without Technoleg,\u201d says Meital. The animals at Freedom Farm, like Nir that have braces or prosthetics, are dependent on them. They even have animals in wheelchairs. \u201cWithout them, it would be impossible to give them any quality of life,\u201d says Meital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jewishjournal.com\/commentary\/blogs\/311823\/the-israeli-prosthetics-clinic-that-gives-people-and-animals-a-second-chance\/\">The Jewish Journal <\/a>on 03\/09\/2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You can find Avi Talmor and Micha Hayat, the technicians behind Technoleg located on Kibbutz Beerot Yitzhak, in their workshop &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":2094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11,10,9],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1585229887:11"],"_oembed_4292fffb5c5fbe540721f67d39e750b5":["<iframe title=\"Prosthetics in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0XwxBF3DU8M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_4292fffb5c5fbe540721f67d39e750b5":["1585229291"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["Technoleg Orthopedic Institute has helped countless amputee patients regain the motion of walking for more than 40 years. Recently, they became the first and only place in Israel to make prosthetics for animals"],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["1"],"_wpml_media_featured":["1"],"_thumbnail_id":["2094"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2065"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2101,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065\/revisions\/2101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}