Orthopedic Impairment

Orthopedic Impairment

Mukti's Artificial Limb

The Mukti limb

The Mahaveer Vikalang Sahayata Samithi, Jaipur, processed the effort towards an artificial limb that functioned better than the limbs made before. And with technical assistance from them, MUKTI took off to launch itself on its mission of helping those poor disabled who cannot help themselves. That was how the MUKTI Limb came into being.

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The MUKTI Limb is made from HDPE ( a plastic material ), which is lighter in weight. It looks like a natural foot, is waterproof, simple, sturdy, durable, made of locally available material and utilizes very simple technology while incorporating modern scientific ideas. The unique design of this foot permits squatting, sitting cross - legged on the floor, walking on uneven ground, cycling, climbing, swimming, driving a truck, and working in paddy fields. In short, the MUKTI Limb makes the user feel absolutely normal and in most cases enable the user to return to his vocation.Moreover, the MUKTI Limb is very sturdy thereby enabling the user to climb trees, or perform other activities better than a normal human being.

The Mukti limb is constructed using the following material

	Skin colored HDPE, made specially for Mukti.
	Jaipur foot, which is flexible and shaped like the human foot (up to the ankle), giving the natural "feel" to the user.
	Leather straps.
	Knee joints, for limbs made for amputations above the knee
	Consumables like adhesives, Plaster of Paris, nails, foam etc.

The manufacturing process

	The amputee is made to sit on a chair and a condom is stretched over the amputees' stump. The technician will then wrap plaster of bandages over the stump and fashion a `negative' mould of the stump.
	Measurements of the amputees normal leg is taken to enable the matching of the Mukti limb ,to the good limb.
	The plaster of paris mould is then taken and a mild steel rod of about 3 feet length is inserted in the center (of the jug like mould). The rod is mounted on to a vice and plaster of paris is poured in to the mould with the rod in place.
	Once the plaster of paris is set, the negative mould which is made of POP (plaster of paris) bandages is cut and removed, what is left behind is a copy of the stump of the amputee.
	Using files and chisels the POP mould is shaped into a leg. The steel rod is left in place at this time.
	A HDPE pipe of the appropriate (depending on the size and weight of the amputee) size and thickness is then taken and placed in an oven. The pipe is heated to 150 to 200 degrees Centigrade till it stretches.
	The hot pipe is taken (using gloves) to the mould and is stretched over the POP mould and pressed into every curve, allowing it to take the shape of the mould.
	Once the pipe is cooled, the pipe with the POP is removed from the vice and then, the pipe is beaten with the hammer to remove the POP mould inside the pipe. The POP is broken and removed and so also the steel rod, which is then reused.
	The leg shaped HDPE pipe is called the socket. This socket is now taken by the technicians and worked on to remove sharp edges and to prepare it for fitment.
	The socket is then taken and a Jaipur foot attached to the lower end, this is done by heating the socket over a small hot plate, till it stretches, the Jaipur foot (ankle end) is inserted into the socket and then pushed in to place. Once the socket cools down the Jaipur foot is held firmly, to ensure that the foot does not come loose, nails are driven into the foot through the socket.
	Leather straps are fitted onto the socket at the knee area to enable the user to strap the limb onto his thigh.

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