New Foot Study
- Thread starter Wildman
- Start date
OP
Yes that guy has done some amazing things for Prosthetics.
He lost his legs from a climbing accident where he frostbite both his feet.
OP
Well like everything else due to the Coronavirus the study has been shutdown until further notice. Once things are back up and running again they'll contact me to come back in. Was really looking forward to trying out some different feet too. Once it's back up and going again I'll make sure and post up new info.
OP
This is the plan Chris. If the weather will cooperate I'll be working on both of them.
OP
Well they were finally able to get study started again so I drove over to the Seattle VA yesterday and took the next step in this study. I'm now to the part where I am wearing an actual foot that the computerized foot emulated. To make this study as impartial as possible I don't know the brand or model of foot I am wearing. I got to go thru the paces with all 3 different feet yesterday and then came home with one of the study foot for the next two week. I go back on 4 Nov to change out the foot and get the next one in the study. When I go back I'll fill out a survey on what I think of the foot I just had worn.
The foot I have now is a fixed ankle foot but due to the design it provides a lot of feed back. It stores the kinetic energy as I step onto it and then as I step off of it that stored energy helps to push the foot off the ground. This helps to emulate an actual leg/ankle and reduces the amount of energy to walk. The more force I apply to this foot the more it returns. The best way I can explain it is it's like compressing a spring on our Jeep and then how the spring pushes back. I've never worn a foot like this so I am really excited about getting to try it out. When I go back to the VA for my yearly appointment with the Amputation Clinic next spring I might ask them if I could get one of these for when I want to walk for exercise. Ottobock now has a quick change coupler for changing the foot on your socket. This is a HUGE thing for amputees because when you change a foot normally you would have to go visit your prothesis and they would setup your prosthetic. But with this coupler you can now change your foot yourself.
https://www.ottobockus.com/products/quickchange-adapter/
This is the quick change adapter.
Since I can't tell you the brand or model I'm giving it a SWAG and say this foot is similar to this one.
The foot I have now is a fixed ankle foot but due to the design it provides a lot of feed back. It stores the kinetic energy as I step onto it and then as I step off of it that stored energy helps to push the foot off the ground. This helps to emulate an actual leg/ankle and reduces the amount of energy to walk. The more force I apply to this foot the more it returns. The best way I can explain it is it's like compressing a spring on our Jeep and then how the spring pushes back. I've never worn a foot like this so I am really excited about getting to try it out. When I go back to the VA for my yearly appointment with the Amputation Clinic next spring I might ask them if I could get one of these for when I want to walk for exercise. Ottobock now has a quick change coupler for changing the foot on your socket. This is a HUGE thing for amputees because when you change a foot normally you would have to go visit your prothesis and they would setup your prosthetic. But with this coupler you can now change your foot yourself.
https://www.ottobockus.com/products/quickchange-adapter/
This is the quick change adapter.
Since I can't tell you the brand or model I'm giving it a SWAG and say this foot is similar to this one.
OP
OP
I need to do a setup like this....... Carry a small 9mm or .380 as adding more weight sucks down low.
This isn't a replacement foot for me right now. I'm involved with a foot study thru the VA where they are trying to build a computer program where they could emulate differnet types of feet so that a person could come into the clinic and instead of having to try different feet which can be very expensive this computer program would allow you to try out a bunch of different during one visit becasue the computer can change the foot by a keyboard stroke.
There are 8 adjustment screws on the pilon 4 at the top and 4 at the bottom that change then angle of the foot and how the prosthetic is positioned under your leg. It's interesting how much we all take for granted until you now longer have a ankle. Becasue I like to tinker I have messes around with those screws to see how it changed the position of the foot.
If it isn't adjust properly as you are walking it can feel like you are stepping into a hole or climbing out of the hole. You can also adjust how much the toe points in or out. Sort of like doing a garage alignment on your TJ.
I can't show you the 4 screws on the lower part but you can see the upper ones. And then to one that is for the tube is how you adjust the toe facing in or out. And the 4 screws adjust how it leans forward and back and side to side. This pilon is also threaded so to change the height you screw it in or out.
There is a lot that goes into making a prosthetic fit properly and most prosthesis don't like their patients messing with these adjustments. But since I live so far away from any clinic my prosthesis has shown me how to make adjustments.
The other thing that can affect how a foot is adjusted is the height of the heel or thickness of the sole. This is the main reason why they make that quick change coupler. If you want to wear cowboy boots you need it adjusted one way and then want to wear tennis shoes or hiking boots. They each would have a different setup. With that coupler you could have many different feet for the different types of shoes/boots you wear. The old way of doing this was to take the highest heel and adjust the foot for that heel. And then place heel lifts into all your other footwear to match the height of that tallest heel. The problem with that form of adjustments is that all the other feet will feel OFF. It's hard to explain to others who have two ankles.
But I am excited about this foot I'm trialing right now.
This isn't a replacement foot for me right now. I'm involved with a foot study thru the VA where they are trying to build a computer program where they could emulate differnet types of feet so that a person could come into the clinic and instead of having to try different feet which can be very expensive this computer program would allow you to try out a bunch of different during one visit becasue the computer can change the foot by a keyboard stroke.
There are 8 adjustment screws on the pilon 4 at the top and 4 at the bottom that change then angle of the foot and how the prosthetic is positioned under your leg. It's interesting how much we all take for granted until you now longer have a ankle. Becasue I like to tinker I have messes around with those screws to see how it changed the position of the foot.
If it isn't adjust properly as you are walking it can feel like you are stepping into a hole or climbing out of the hole. You can also adjust how much the toe points in or out. Sort of like doing a garage alignment on your TJ.
I can't show you the 4 screws on the lower part but you can see the upper ones. And then to one that is for the tube is how you adjust the toe facing in or out. And the 4 screws adjust how it leans forward and back and side to side. This pilon is also threaded so to change the height you screw it in or out.
There is a lot that goes into making a prosthetic fit properly and most prosthesis don't like their patients messing with these adjustments. But since I live so far away from any clinic my prosthesis has shown me how to make adjustments.
The other thing that can affect how a foot is adjusted is the height of the heel or thickness of the sole. This is the main reason why they make that quick change coupler. If you want to wear cowboy boots you need it adjusted one way and then want to wear tennis shoes or hiking boots. They each would have a different setup. With that coupler you could have many different feet for the different types of shoes/boots you wear. The old way of doing this was to take the highest heel and adjust the foot for that heel. And then place heel lifts into all your other footwear to match the height of that tallest heel. The problem with that form of adjustments is that all the other feet will feel OFF. It's hard to explain to others who have two ankles.
But I am excited about this foot I'm trialing right now.
Sure, understood. I have a buddy that lost his lower leg when a sling broke when installing a crane. I think he’s had a Bluetooth leg for about 10 years. Cool technology and it’s getting better.
Had a neighbor who lost his lower leg as a child too, mower accident. He designs prosthetics now.
OP
While I was at the VA yesterday the research team also told me that there is going to be another study happening in the next few years where they are going to be doing a study of feet that help to compensate for uneven ground.
If you are standing on a side hill your ankle compensates for that angle by leaning uphill. Or stepping on a branch or rock where you roll your ankle to one side of the other. But with these prosthetic feet the only side to side flex you get right now is when the blade that is the sole of the foot is split.
See how this is split down the middle? It is what allows your leg to lean left or right. To the best of my knowledge they don't make a prosthetic foot that can pivot in all directions. With that split your get a few degrees of lean but it isn't anything like a natural ankle. Just like my normal foot I have it has 27* of front to back angle/motion. That isn't close to what your ankle moves BUT it's way better that some of these feet that are fixed.
I think you and I have talked about this before. I trialed a foot that was powered and I could connect to it with my phone. I didn't like it because it weighed almost 9 lbs and trying to walk with that weight swinging at the bottom of your leg took a lot more energy. Plus the foot I was trying could not get wet and it wasn't rated to handle large amounts of weight. So trying to pickup a 100 lb tire & wheel could break it. And then the batteries only lasted 3-4 hours.
They say that it takes approximately 30-50% more energy to walk for each joint you have lost. So by making a prosthetic lighter it makes it easier to walk, And it is also why they try to design it to store energy as you walk so it can help to push off as you walk.
If you are standing on a side hill your ankle compensates for that angle by leaning uphill. Or stepping on a branch or rock where you roll your ankle to one side of the other. But with these prosthetic feet the only side to side flex you get right now is when the blade that is the sole of the foot is split.
See how this is split down the middle? It is what allows your leg to lean left or right. To the best of my knowledge they don't make a prosthetic foot that can pivot in all directions. With that split your get a few degrees of lean but it isn't anything like a natural ankle. Just like my normal foot I have it has 27* of front to back angle/motion. That isn't close to what your ankle moves BUT it's way better that some of these feet that are fixed.
I think you and I have talked about this before. I trialed a foot that was powered and I could connect to it with my phone. I didn't like it because it weighed almost 9 lbs and trying to walk with that weight swinging at the bottom of your leg took a lot more energy. Plus the foot I was trying could not get wet and it wasn't rated to handle large amounts of weight. So trying to pickup a 100 lb tire & wheel could break it. And then the batteries only lasted 3-4 hours.
They say that it takes approximately 30-50% more energy to walk for each joint you have lost. So by making a prosthetic lighter it makes it easier to walk, And it is also why they try to design it to store energy as you walk so it can help to push off as you walk.
Yeah my buddy has had issues with his hip on the side with the full leg due to compensating while walking on the prosthetic. It’s a fine line to balance.
OP
Yes it is. My back is totally wacked from me walking on my leg before the amputation. I was 2cm shorter on my right side so it threw my gait off. Doesn't seem like that big a deal but I'm telling you it makes a huge difference.
That's a sweet setup! Maybe fab up something like this for CC?need to do a setup like this....... Carry a small 9mm or .380 as adding more weight sucks down low.
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OP
So I have had this test foot now for a week an a half so I thought I would share some observations with everyone. For a daily wear foot it is a good fit and because it stores energy as you walk and then pushes off as you step forward it means that you don't expend as much energy as you do with a foot that doesn't store the energy. The things I don't like about it is when walking over uneven ground. Because it doesn't have any articulation if you step into a hole of other spot it throws you leg around and really tweaks my knee.
I have to go back to the VA next Wednesday to return this foot and to get the next one in this study. But I warned them that if the idiots in Seattle were acting up after the elections I might not come. I'm not going to risk going over there and get caught in a riot or them blocking the freeways. I can guaranty one thing. I'm not going over there with out protection. So as long as the world doesn't end next week I'll be posting on the 4th about my next test foot.
I have to go back to the VA next Wednesday to return this foot and to get the next one in this study. But I warned them that if the idiots in Seattle were acting up after the elections I might not come. I'm not going to risk going over there and get caught in a riot or them blocking the freeways. I can guaranty one thing. I'm not going over there with out protection. So as long as the world doesn't end next week I'll be posting on the 4th about my next test foot.
What do you mean by storing energy? Like spring steel that helps you bounce off the weight of a step or what?
OP
Yes it's just like a spring so as you walk and place your weight onto the foot the curved shape compresses and then as you are stepping forward it pushes off giving you an assist to swing your leg forward.
The foot in this video isn't the foot I have but it explains how it works.
That's cool, apparently I've taken my feet for granted over a lifetime of walking & I'm going to have a whole other level of appreciation for them this morning on my run. I'm glad there are engineers out there putting effort into stuff like this.
The storing energy thing is pretty cool. I was running a 10K a few years ago and passed a guy running on a prosthetic. It was pretty amazing and inspiring. He had one of those blade things like Oscar Pistorius. The weight thing is something I wouldn't have thought about but it makes sense. If you have a giant pendulum at the end of your knee, controlling that energy is gonna be tough.