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Guitarist Hopes To Play Again With The Help of Bionic Hand
Posted by
samzenpus
on Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:55 AM
from the we'll-rebuild-him dept.
from the we'll-rebuild-him dept.
Dorian Cox, the 27-year-old guitarist of the indie band The Long Blondes, thought his guitar playing days were over after he suffered a stroke. He now has a glimmer of hope thanks to some neurological physiotherapy which includes a cutting-edge piece of medical technology. The SaeboFlex helps patients by supporting their wrists and helping them grasp and release objects. "It's a fantastic service, it's helping tremendously and I think it can work wonders for me and others — it's almost like a gym for my hand. I know things might never be the same again and nobody can give me a definite answer about whether I'll play guitar again but I'm getting back on track with their help," Mr. Cox said. This thing looks really cool, and I'm sure many people will benefit from it, though I can't help but wonder if they make a model that lets you shoot your fist at an enemy.
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Re: (Score:2)
Stairways are indeed tough for hemiplegics.
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You must be new here...
I hope he learns to play again for the band's sake (Score:1, Interesting)
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Clots can start to form anywhere in the body and then travel. If you sit for too long in one place, it's possible to start to form a clot in your legs, and that clotted blood can then travel to the brain.
Possibility (Score:1)
Directly into the guitar (Score:2)
He should plug in through a "PS3 - Brain" adapter and use a Guitar Hero axe.
There are multiple advantages to that aproach if he ever wants to change to battery or bass, or loses his vocal cords, ...
Another Possibility (Score:2, Funny)
If the "cutting-edge piece of medical technology" isnt enough to play real guitar, he could always play bass.
Like William Murderface.
not a bionic hand at all (Score:3, Interesting)
This is in no way whatsoever a bionic hand. A bionic hand is a powered orthosis that has both intelligence in the form of things like feedback contol and intent recognition + integration with the nervous system in some way. This thing here is a fancy brace, basically. Nothing at all like a "bionic hand"! This is probably the worst misuse of the word "bionic" that I've ever seen.
Re:not a bionic hand at all (Score:4, Informative)
And this uses mechanical parts to assist a human in doing things.
Parent
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Also, it is not a hand - any more than a glove is a hand.
It is an orthosis, more specifically a dynamic hand orthosis.
(from a bionics researcher, with a degree in prosthetics and orthotics...)
Re:not a bionic hand at all (Score:4, Interesting)
If we fix the grandparent, though, he still has a point.
"This is probably the worst misuse of the word 'hand' that I've ever seen."
Really, when you call something a bionic hand, you're implying it is a prosthetic limb. He still has his hand, it just doesn't work so great. The article is intentionally "misleading" but they "justify" it by including "quotes."
Parent
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So, do you consider a neck brace a bionic neck? Do you consider a pair of crutches a bionic leg?
The guy still has his hand! This thing is essentially a glove that has springs to support the fingers so they don't hang limp. Kind of like a neck brace or knee brace etc has stiffness to it to support one's neck etc so it won't go limp without use of muscles or ligaments etc that are injured.
This thing is a brace for a hand that is limp.
It is not a functional replacement for a hand. That's what a "bionic han
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God's way (Score:1)
I guess it's God's way of saying "stop playing crappy music!" :)
Seriously, being a guitarist myself I hope it works out for him!
T T T T Townshend (Score:1)
Pete Townshend can now smash guitars like nobody's mama.
Human MIDI controller? (Score:3, Interesting)
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It's about 15-20 years away from real-world use and will require brain implants (of sensor + hole through your skull for wires etc to come out) which would most likely have to be removed and reimplanted into different area of brain every couple years (since signals at implant sites degrade over time and it's not looking like there's going to be any way stopping the degradation).
Other side of the story (Score:3, Funny)
Bionic hand hopes to play again with the help of a guitarist.
This needs a new title (Score:1)
Get back at me when he can use this hand to do more than pluck a string here and there.
Anyone else think... (Score:2)
...Anakin Skywalker? ^_^
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Bionic Commando (Score:1)
No need for a bionic arm... (Score:5, Informative)
Heh. You don't need a bionic hand for playing guitar.
Keith Xander [fender.co.uk] has been doing it for years with one arm - and well, too!
Hell, there's even a guy who plays guitar with no arms [youtube.com]! Granted, it's mostly Tom Petty songs, but still ;)
Re: (Score:1)
>Hell, there's even a guy who plays guitar with no arms! Granted, it's mostly Tom Petty songs, but still ;)
That guy is in San Diego all the time. I've seen him a lot. He can play pretty much anything you request.
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FYI - the man's name is Mark Goffeney [wikipedia.org]. (The YouTube video doesn't even cite this amazing man's name.)
Goffeney has more dexterity in his toes than I have in my fingers. Congratulations to him for daring to learn guitar with no arms!
He should join Def Lepard (Score:1)
The drummer in Def Lepard has only got one arm
The drummer in Def Lepard has only got one arm
The drummer in Def Lepard has only got one arm
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And boy, is his forehead sore. Cymbals are hard!
Scrubs anyone!? (Score:1)
Not how I remember it... (Score:1)
A stroke? Please. We all know how it really happened...
---
Needles: Hey! The big "DC". How's it hangin', Cox?
Dorian Cox: Hey, Needles...
Needles: Nice set of wheels! Let's see what she can do! Next green light!
Dorian Cox: No thanks.
Needles: What's the matter? Chicken ?
Dorian Cox looks at Needles, and Jennifer clasps Dorian Cox's hand.
Jennifer: Dorian Cox... don't!
Dorian Cox defiantly throws his truck into gear, revving the engine.
Dorian Cox: Grab a hold of something...
When it says he wants to play again... (Score:1)
Re:No, you were not! (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, strokes can happen spontaneously overnight. There are lots of people out there who just develop blood clots without any known medical or physiological reason and it often comes on suddenly.
Clots can lead to strokes and PE's
And you can still be in good health (medically speaking) and get a thrombosis.
GrpA
Parent
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Re:No, you were not! (Score:5, Informative)
That's a lot of BS. A friend of mine had a stroke in is 30s: he kept fit, didn't drink, didn't smoke, didn't eat too much, and you how it happened? He was taking a dump, was pushing hard with his mouth closed, and collapsed right there. The hospital doctor I talk to said the extreme change of blood pressure when someone does that is enough to burst a vessel even with the healthiest person.
Incidentally, I who drinks coffee, alcohol and smokes the cigar, never rushes my morning business anymore. I've seen the result, nosiree...
Parent
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you learn something new everyday...
actually, i've always had a hunch that pushing really hard when you're taking a dump could be bad for you. my circulatory system isn't that great to begin with. sometimes when i stand up and stretch my arms/legs/back really hard and sit back down, i'll get really lightheaded, to the point where i actually feel like i'm going to black out--my ears will start ringing, my vision gets dim, and sometimes i even start losing my sense of balance. it feels almost like being on nit
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The bottom line, you shouldn't have to push. Believe it or not, changing the amount of fluids (particularly water) as well as upping your fiber intake should do the trick.
Since I've changed that much of my diet (more water and a glass or two of Konsyl, a pure fiber supplement, every day) the crap literally falls out of me and in massive quantity. At the worst, your breathing and sitting up straight while taking a bowel movement should be enough to work it out of you. Remember to breathe, the displacement
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Yes, I can just see getting a new toilet with a little pamphlet on the side labeled "How to Take a Dump".
Or better: "So You've Decided to Take a Dump..."
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0xDEFEC8ED
*me ducks*
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Well I'll feel fortunate that a hemorrhoid is all I developed from that kind of strain. Seriously though, if you have to push that hard, it's time to evaluate your fiber intake.
Re:No, you were not! (Score:5, Funny)
Thank you.
Taking a shit was fun enough before, now I have to worry about sudden stroke death.....FUCK!
Parent
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Actually it sounds like your friend had an hemorrhage, which is not the most common type of stroke, and is typically avoidable (e.g. by avoiding such spikes in blood pressure).
Re:No, you were not! (Score:4, Insightful)
Or another way of looking at it: The tools we have to define good health cannot be used to rule out the possibility of a stroke at any moment.
My uncle died of an aneurysm in his skull one night. He was in his late 20's and quite healthy. They still don't know why it formed.
It may be comforting to say things like "things like strokes do not happen overnight." It lets us sleep better. However, they do actually happen over night, and genuinely healthy people die all the time. By being healthy you reduce your chances of impending death, but you don't eliminate them.
Parent
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