C6

By ALYSSA NOEL
The Canadian Press

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EDMONTON - Two years ago Rob Anderson's arm and leg were sliced off by helicopter rotors in a horrific crash south of Grande Prairie, Alta.

Shortly after takeoff, the chopper was hit by shifting post-storm winds and spun out of control. One of the rotors hit the ground and ripped off half the machine along with Anderson's limbs.

Since that fateful day the 31-year-old wildfire ranger and father of two has held the same outlook - live in the moment.

"With having my accident and injuries, it's kind of just, 'be happy with what you can do right now - don't make too many plans because you don't want to be disappointed,' " he said from Edmonton's Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.

Anderson recently became one of the first Canadians to receive a Targeted Muscle Reinnervation procedure or neuro-controlled bionic arm.

The cutting-edge prosthetic limb essentially allows amputees to move their fake arm like a real one.

Researchers are hailing the development as the best advancement in upper-limb prosthetics since the Second World War when rehabilitation specialists began fitting amputees with hooks.

"If I want to reach out and open my hand to grab something, it just happens," explained Dr. Jackie Hebert, clinical director of the adult amputee program at the Glenrose and an assistant professor at the University of Alberta.

"Our brain tells our muscles to do that automatically. So our goal is to get our patients to that level where they're thinking, 'I want to reach out and pick up that cup,' and the prosthetic device just automatically does that.

"Up to this time an amputee has had to go, 'OK, I need to pull on this cable. I need to move my shoulder.' It doesn't make any sense to them. What this technology means is that they can actually just think those thoughts and have that prosthesis respond naturally."

Anderson's wife - a physical therapist in Grande Prairie - hopes the new arm will help with everyday tasks.

"He's only had the arm for two days," Sophie Anderson said.

"It's just taking the arm home to see what (he) can do.

"Can I cut up my steak with that hand?

"Can I open a bottle of water without squishing it closed? Can I do up the buttons on my shirt?"

The device, initially developed at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, is fitted after a surgery that rewires the amputee's nerves to remaining muscle in the arm or chest.