Blesma News
Latest news from Blesma, The Limbless Veterans
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£700,000 fund will expand provision of MPKs in Wales
26 April 2021
Advanced Microprocessor-controlled knees are now available to Wales residents whose amputation was not attributed to military service. Vaughan Gething, Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services, has announced a £700,000 fund to provide microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees (MPK) to a wider group of people living in Wales. The announcement brings Wales into line with the rest of the UK and will benefit a number of Members who have had above-knee amputations that were not attributable to military service. “This announcement is wonderful news for
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Shaping the Future - The study that aims to understand the needs of families living with loss of use of limb
24 April 2021
A new research study, spearheaded by Blesma, will aim to understand the experiences of families living with loss of use of limb. The findings will influence how the Association supports Members going foward. In the summer of 2018 Blesma published pioneering research that revealed the necessity for a radical new approach to supporting veterans and their families who were trying to cope with the wide-ranging impacts of limb loss. The 18-month study, which interviewed more than 70 Blesma Members and their immediate families, identified the need for signi
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Mont Blanc Expedition
20 April 2021
Association Access Mont Blanc (supported by the Invictus Games Foundation) are offering an exciting opportunity for 6 members of the WIS community. The goal is to take part in an expedition to complete the Tour du Mont Blanc, a 170 km loop with 1000m of climbing and descending. The aim of the expedition is to show that the route is accessible to wheelchair users and those with limited mobility. It will also demonstrate that most of the route can be carried out autonomously in an electric wheelchair, whilst the narrower and more technical passages are passable
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New Amputation surgery gives better control of residual muscles
17 April 2021
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered a new type of amputation surgery that allows amputees to have improved control of their residual muscles and a better sense of where their ‘phantom limb’ is. Researchers believe this could translate to better control of prosthetic limbs and a reductionin limb pain. In most amputations, the muscles that control joints such as elbows and ankles are severed. The MIT team has found that reconnecting these muscle pairs, allowing them to retain their normal pushp
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