Amputee Walking School June 2017

The Amputee Walking School of June 2017 was a great success!  Co-hosted by Dankmeyer, Inc. and the staff from University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute (UMROI), this summer session was held at Dankmeyer's Linthicum office on June 21.  Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler joined Dankmeyer's Mark Hopkins PT, CPO, MBA and Meg Sions PT, PHD, DPT from the University of Delaware to teach a combination of classes for professionals in the daytime.  Then, an evening of informal learning and exercises for those with lower limb loss followed.  There were over 100 participants in the day long event.  First timers were greeted warmly, while old friends shared stories and laughter while working on new skills and polishing up some old ones.  If you were not able to attend this time, we hope to see you at the next event in November.   We have a slideshow of the June event here, and we hope you enjoy it!

Also, Todd and Dennis were featured in a USA Today article, which you can check out by clicking here.

Amputee Walking School - NEW LOCATION and NEW CONTENT!

We are very excited to announce that the Summer Session of the Amputee Walking School on June 21, 2017, will be held at the Linthicum office of Dankmeyer!

We are hosting Todd Schaffhauser, Dennis Oehler, and the staff from University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute (UMROI) as we work with amputees and their families, as well as healthcare professionals, to learn new exercises and challenge themselves in a safe environment.

I have gained enormously from attending the Amputee Walking School, and would encourage other amputees to participate as well. I expect to be there in June!  - Dr. Andrew Rubin - Lower Limb Amputee

This change of location gives us a chance to share our environment with those attending and allows our staff to meet and greet attendees as they volunteer at the evening session.  This day of fun and education will consist of two sessions. A day long course for healthcare professionals and an evening event which focuses on amputees and their families. If this sounds like something you would like to take part in, then read on!

For healthcare professionals we will be hosting a new course, Lower Limb Prosthesis Prescription and Training Considerations. This course will take place from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and will feature Todd, Dennis, Megan Sions, PT, PHD, DPT from the University of Delaware, and our own Mark Hopkins, PT, CPO, MBA. Registration is currently open for this event. Lunch will be provided.  We do ask that you register early as space is limited.

Our evening event, which takes place from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, brings those with lower limb loss into the activity. This is where amputees, their friends and family can learn ways to be more active! The evening event continues to be free for all, however we do ask that you register in advance so we can keep track of those attending.

All of us at Dankmeyer hope you will join us for this event. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Amy Smith at (410) 636-8114 ext 269 or email us at info@dankmeyer.com. 

We also encourage you to check out the programs available at University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute (UMROI).

If you would like to read more about previous sessions of Amputee Walking School, please continue to read below.  

Amputee Walking School March 2017 Complete!

Despite the best efforts of winter storm Stella to wreak winter havoc with the SPRING Amputee Walking School, the show must go on - even if it was a week later!  The morning of 3/15/17 started off with Todd and Dennis - the lecturers - having their flight into Baltimore cancelled due to poor weather in the Northeast.  Organizers at the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute (UMROI) and co-hosts the Amputee Support Group and Dankmeyer, Inc.  quickly moved to make arrangements to hold the event one week later on 3/22/17.  Program attendees were notified of the change and calendars were re-marked!  Participants assembled on the new day and had a very successful event.

As always, Amputee Walking School is designed to bring Paralympians Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler, self-styled “professional amputees”, together with other amputees and their families, physical therapists, prosthetists and support staff - to teach and practice training exercises for lower limb amputees.  Todd and Dennis, both lower limb amputees, co-founded the Amputee Walking School (AWS) in 1989 to take amputees beyond traditional rehabilitation.

Professionals attended the afternoon lecture session before regrouping with patients and their families for the evening session.  Some attendees were returning to display progress made since their previous session.  Newcomers were learning for the first time the exercises and were able to benefit from working with the others.  One of the younger attendees met Dankmeyer's 3DPO intern and had a great time entertaining him - very creatively building an obstacle course the two of them could negotiate.  (If you would like to read more about 3DPO, you can click here.)

Announcing new location and course content for 6/21/2017

Dankmeyer, Inc - one of the co-hosts, was pleased to announce that the June 21, 2017 session would be held at Dankmeyer's Linthicum office.  In addition to switching up the location, the professional content will be new - Lower Limb Prosthesis Prescription and Training Considerations.  Todd and Dennis will be joined by Mark Hopkins, CPO, PT, MBA and Megan Sions, PT,  PhD, DPT as lecturers.  This physical therapy education session will be held from 9-4, with lunch provided.  Amputees will be welcome to attend that as well as the evening Walking School from 4-7.  Applications have been submitted for Physical Therapy continuing education credits.  Registration information will be forthcoming, so mark your calendars.   

Now, enjoy some pictures of the action!

RESCHEDULED!!! to March 22, 2017 Spring Amputee Walking School is open for registration!

DUE TO WINTER STORM STELLA - This event has been rescheduled to March 22, 2017.

Registration for the event is open for professionals and individuals with lower limb loss and their families.    

All events will be held at the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute (UMROI) on Kernan Drive in Baltimore. This series is co-hosted by the Amputee Support Group, UMROI and Dankmeyer.  It aims to teach and practice training exercises for lower limb amputees.  Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler, Paralympians and self-styled “professional amputees”, co-founded the Amputee Walking School in 1989 to take amputees beyond traditional rehabilitation.  

Professionals can attend the session from 1-7pm.  This is a very inexpensive way to earn CEU's.   Information and registration for this session can be found by clicking here.

Patients and their families can attend the evening session. There is no charge for attending the event from 5-7 pm! If you would like to register, click here.

Previous amputee participants are encouraged to attend more than one session.  If you haven't been before, you might find reports of previous sessions fun and inspiring! Please scroll down through OLDER news on this page.

We also have dates for the other 2017 sessions:

  • June 21, 2017

  • November 15, 2017

If you are interested in attending, either as a professional, or as an amputee, put these dates on your calendar.  You won't want to miss these events. 

Fall 2016 Amputee Walking School

Who are these guys?  Why, they are Paralympians Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler of course!  And if you are a lower limb amputee and haven’t met them yet - check this out so you can see what is going on.  Three or four times a year, Paralympians Todd Schaffhauser and Dennis Oehler pack their bags and leave Long Island, New York and head to Baltimore for a day of Amputee Walking School.  They just completed their November 2016 visit on Wednesday the 16th.   Organized by the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute (UMROI) at their Kernan Drive location, the event is co-hosted by the Amputee Support Group and Dankmeyer, Inc.  Amputee Walking School is designed to bring these self-styled “professional amputees” together with other amputees and their families, physical therapists, prosthetists and support staff - to teach and practice training exercises for lower limb amputees.  Todd and Dennis, both lower limb amputees, co-founded the Amputee Walking School (AWS) in 1989 to take amputees beyond traditional rehabilitation.

Todd and Dennis began Wednesday with a morning lecture and demonstration session, primarily attended by physical therapists and clinicians, to review the biomechanics of walking, running and other physical activities with a prosthetic device.  They discuss how to assess functional level and learn to look for indicators of successful prosthetic use. Stretching and strengthening exercises for amputees are reviewed along with some treatment approaches for their patients.  Todd and Dennis provide a number of practical demonstrations with the lecture and share their experiences as Paralympian Track and Field Medalists to educate and inspire these clinicians on sports and recreational opportunities for amputees.

In the evening, lower limb amputees and their families participate with a number of demonstrations and exercises, led by Todd and Dennis.  Attendees of the morning session also participate in order to work directly with amputees in the practical application of their morning studies.  As a special surprise, a local ABC News affiliate came to do a story on the event, and you can see that report by clicking here.

Todd and Dennis are very attentive and hands-on, guiding and encouraging professionals and amputees alike.  There is usually a lot of laughter and fun mixed in the with hard work - friends reconnect to encourage each other in their progress and learn new techniques.  The goal is for patients to come to multiple programs in order to gauge their progress after any continued therapy and practice of the exercises.

New attendees are always welcome.  The schedule for 2017 events is:

  • March 15, 2017
  • June 21, 2017
  • November 15, 2017

Save these dates when you are planning your 2017 calendar. You won’t want to miss these classes!  Now, check out this gallery of pictures from the November 2016 edition.