BY MARIANNE MCKIM Times Staff Writer

Jeffrey Brandt believed there to be a market for prosthetic and orthotic care in the Gettysburg area. This demand helped support Brandt's decision in returning to his native area to open Ability Prosthetics and Orthotics, Inc.

"To my knowledge, there is no one in Gettysburg who does this full-time," Brandt said.

As a certified prosthesist and orthotist, Brandt, 31, is able to fit prosthetics and orthotics while also assessing the needs of his patients.

His interest was first established during his college years at Penn State University, after reading a journal on this type of care. At that time, he sought out a facility in the State College area, and began volunteer work at HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation.

"I loved the field and that is how I got stared," he said.

Upon graduation, Brandt enrolled in a prosthetics technician program at Spokane Falls Community College in Washington. There he learned the two sides to prosthetics and orthotics - clinical and fabrication.

Moving back to the East Coast, Brandt worked as a registered prosthetic and orthotic technician in both Fairfax, Va., and Philadelphia, where he fabricated artificial limbs and braces for two companies. Brandt feels that the time he spent learning and operating in the fabrication field has helped him become a better practitioner.

"Being a technician has allowed me to learn more about how the products work," Brandt said. "I am able to make several adjustments right here in the office instead of sending them out."

In mid-March, Brandt opened the doors to Ability Prosthetics and Orthotics. The company is part of the allied health team at Gettysburg Hospital, and the office is located at 455 S. Washington St., in the Gettysburg Medical Building.

Since first establishing, Brandt has already seen his business begin to grow.

"I am seeing a lot of people from Adams County, but many are from northern Maryland," Brandt said. "Driving here to Gettysburg is many times easier than for my patients to travel to Frederick (Md.) or York.

The convenience of being in Gettysburg leads Brandt to believe that he will be able to assist a plethora of patients.

"I'm very close to the hospital and I work closely with the doctors," he said. "Many of my patients are older and some are on Social Security. With the price of gas increasing and the mobility of the patients - this area is convenient."

Some patients must be seen every other day until a fitting is complete. Others might have to be seen once a week. Having something to this nature in Gettysburg is very important to Brandt.

Prosthetics is the replacement of limbs lost due to trauma, disease or diabetes. "Diabetes is the number one cause of limb loss," Brandt said. "Diabetic patients lose sensory feeling and many times if the patient has a cut or infection in their leg, it might have to be amputated."

For those patients who have to succumb to this way of life, Brandt is available to help get them back into their everyday routine with a prosthetic device.

After Brandt receives a prescription from the patient's doctor for a prosthetic device, he completes an evaluation of the patient, including muscle strength, joints, living conditions, goals and expectations.

"Most people resume to a functional level," Brandt said.

After the evaluation, Brandt incorporates his knowledge of prosthetic design to find the correct instrument. After a decision is made on the type of material, such as aluminum, titanium, steel, a rubber foot or carbon-fiber foot, Brandt makes an impression of the residual limb. From there, he is able to fabricate the prosthesis, and send it away to become functional.

Once the device is available, the patient must be fitted. Comfort, function and fit are the three most important issues when being fitted for a prosthesis. From that point, many new patients will go on to be trained in physical therapy. Those who are existing patients will just be given a new device.

"Patients usually have to come back in (to the office) for maintenance and service," Brandt said. "And roughly, every three years, the patient will receive a new prosthesis."

Brandt said that below the knee amputations are most commonly seen in his practice.

Orthotically, Brandt said that many of the procedures are very similar. Orthotics include a fracture of some sort that has been caused by trauma or a degenerative disease. There is acute, which is for traumatic injuries and usually are only needed until the patient is recovered, or there is long-term or chronic, which is needed when patient's will not fully recover. Brandt said that this type is mostly found in patients who have experienced paralysis.

Brandt is able to fit patients with the certain brace specified for the patient's needs - whether it be leg, back, foot or upper extremity.

"A brace is usually needed because of muscle weakness or paralysis," Brandt said. "Many times paralysis is brought on by a stroke. The same can be found in diabetes. Many patients use a brace to try and prevent their limb from being amputated."

Brandt has a full-service office with four patient rooms, a gate room which has two parallel bars where he can assess the patient's movement, and a room where he builds most of his molds.

The 31-year-old says that even though he is younger than most of his colleagues, he has a fresh outlook on the many new technologies being introduced on a regular basis.

"Like other prosthesist and orthotist, I have the education to be successful, however, I feel that I have an edge to be innovative because of my age."

Another aspect that Brandt believes makes him a good practitioner is patient education.

"I spend time with my patients to educate them about the things they need to know," Brandt said.