In the News

Sherrie Anderson looked inquisitively at her patient's prosthetic.  "It's just not vacuuming," she said, looking at the small pump on the back of his leg. "I don't understand what's wrong."

Staff photo by Christy Wooten (ENLARGE)

Sherrie Anderson test the suction on Bryan Farrell's prosthetic leg recently in her office on University Dr. According to the Prosthetic Center in Houston, women make up 12 percent of all board-certified orthotists and prosthetists in the nation.

Staff photo by Christy Wooten (ENLARGE)

Susan Pitts, who lost her leg due to a blood disorder, says Sherrie Anderson is more empathetic than other prosthetist she has used in the past. Pitts used to drive to Dallas for adjustments.

Staff photo by Christy Wooten (ENLARGE)

Bryan Farrell looks on as his prosthetic is repaired by Sherrie Anderson. Farrell said Anderson helped him find the right camouflage material to decorate the outer shell.

Staff photo by Christy Wooten (ENLARGE)

Prosthetist Sherrie Anderson, left, assists Monica Smith, who was in an accident in 2005, with putting on her prosthetics after an adjustment recently. Since people's bodies are constantly changing, patients require continued care throughout their lives by a prosthetist.

Bryan Farrell, a longtime patient, had arrived earlier that day concerned about his prosthetic leg not working properly.  As Anderson, a Nacogdoches-based prosthetist, examined his leg she noticed that the vacuum pump that flows air into the rod portion of the leg was not working. Farrell smiled as Anderson tilted her head to the side. He could tell the wheels in her head were beginning to spin, and a prognosis was not far behind.  "She tries really hard to make it right," he said of Anderson. "That's really the key to being a good prosthetist, whether you're a male or female (practitioner), it's about the care."

But being a female in the prosthetic field isn't so common.  The Prosthetic Center in Houston, a fully female-owned and operated business, reported earlier this year that women make up just 12 percent of all board-certified orthotists and prosthetists in the nation — 600 out of 5,000 to be exact.

Prosthetics is a very mechanical job, Anderson said.  A typical day includes everything from using hand wrenches to adjust prosthetic alignments, fitting prosthetic sockets and using hammers, saws and a variety of other tools to physically construct a limb.  "You have to be three-dimensional in your thinking," she said. "Women just aren't typically directed toward that."

Some of her patients, who had previously traveled long distances to prosthetists in Shreveport and Dallas, said Anderson provides a different level of care than her male counterparts.  "She has more empathy and compassion than anyone I have dealt with before," said Susan Pitts, who drove to Dallas regularly for adjustments on her prosthetic leg. "I don't know if that's being a woman, or her just being herself, but her concern for her patients is overwhelming."

Pitts, a librarian at Lufkin Middle School, lost her right leg after a blood disorder — brought on by pneumonia — created a clotting problem.  She said her leg was initially amputated just below the knee, but problems arose shortly thereafter, and doctors had to move further up to amputate again.  Pitts said due to the nature of her amputation, the edge of her leg was nearly skin and bone, with little tissue to support her prosthetic limb.  "I was having a horrible time," she said. "It was constantly rubbing and hurting."

When she came to Anderson in 2002, Pitts was directed to Dr. Frank Gottschalk, a lower amputee specialist whom Anderson knew from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.  Pitts said Gottschalk reattached the tendons and muscles in her leg, and amputated slightly more of it to provide the additional tissue she needed in order to maneuver comfortably in her prosthetic.  "It made fitting the silicone suction so much easier," she said of the particular prosthetic.

Because of the additional operation, Pitts was able to enter into a sport she loved, long-range target shooting.  "To get to the targets you have to walk about 50 (feet) and over the course of a tournament you'll have to do that 20 or 30 times," she said, noting she is sure that she would not have been able to do that without the help of Anderson.  "I'm really glad that I found Sherrie," she said. "It was like going from a covered wagon to a Cadillac."

Monica Smith, who lost both of her legs in a 2005 accident, said she also sees how much Anderson cares about her patients.  "It's inspired me to be a prosthetist," she said.  During a recent appointment, Smith said Anderson has been helping her get the ball rolling so-to-speak.  "She's been really great, and I'm looking forward to going to school," Smith said.

Anderson said being a prosthetist is a rewarding job but one that requires always being aware of possible problems.  "You have to anticipate a crisis (in this field)," she said, "(Prosthetists) have a lifetime relationship with their patients because their bodies are constantly changing."  Anderson did not initially go to school to become a prosthetist, but after working in a clinic for class credit, she said the science intrigued her.  "I thought I would be able to use more of my skills," she said.

And she has.  During his recent visit to her office, Anderson instructed Farrell, who was concerned about his prosthetic leg not working, to walk back and forth across her examination room.  "Do you have a hole in your liner?" She asked. "That may be the problem."  Sure enough, as Anderson pulled down the metallic blue lining, a visible hole appeared.  "She has a magic touch," Farrell said.