Prosthetic Feet / Ankle
- Thread starter Wildman
- Start date
OP
Just like the newer computerized knees that they have come out with in the past 10 years it is amazing what technology has done to advance prosthetics. There isn't as much in the ankle as there has been in knees but it all helps. Missing 2 joints is a not harder for an amputee so they have focused on the knee more than the ankle at this point. But the ankle is starting to get looked at now that they have made those advancements on the knee.
As has happened many times war seems to make advancements is technology and medicine. The survivability rate of wounded service members has been increased due to body armor so there are a lot more people who are now benefiting from these avacements.
OP
Well I came home with all three ankles for the next month. I already know which one I will be wearing most if not all the time. I am really going to hate having to go back to using my original fixed ankle. I am really spoiled after getting to use this mechanical ankle. It is the ankle I will be wearing all the time. When I had started this study I thought I would really like the powered ankle the most but now I know differently.
So I took a picture of all three ankles just to show what they all look like.
So the ankle on the left is my original fixed ankle, in the middle is the mechanical ankle which is the one I like the most and then the ankle on the right is the electronic ankle.
I go back on 29 May 19 to turn in the two ankles I was using during the study and then will be back on my fixed ankle. I am currently trying to get the VA to give me a mechanical ankle similar to the one I have been using in this study.
So I took a picture of all three ankles just to show what they all look like.
So the ankle on the left is my original fixed ankle, in the middle is the mechanical ankle which is the one I like the most and then the ankle on the right is the electronic ankle.
I go back on 29 May 19 to turn in the two ankles I was using during the study and then will be back on my fixed ankle. I am currently trying to get the VA to give me a mechanical ankle similar to the one I have been using in this study.
OP
Well it has been 3 weeks since I last posted about this subject. I have been wearing nothing but the mechanical ankle these past 3 weeks and I am really not going to like having to give it back when this is all done. Going back to my fixed ankle will SUCK MAJOR CRAP. I hope I can convince the VA to order me a mechanical ankle ASAP.
OP
Well today was the end of the 3 leg study I was involved in at the VA.
Trying out these other ankles allowed me to see what else is out there and what works and doesn't work. Becasue of my experiance with these other ankles I was able to give a opinion based on real life use to the amputation team. So I asked to be able to trial another ankle and the doctors where glad to let me. So I came home with a Ossur Pro-Pivot which is another mechanical ankle. The difference between the one I was using in the study and this new one is 19* of more motion. The K2 Sensation I wore during the study has 8* of motion and the Pro-Pivot has 27* of motion.
I've been wearing the Pivot for less than 12 hours but so far I TOTALLY LOVE this ankle. Nothing can ever replace a human ankle but this ankle comes close and so far I can't find any fault with it. Here is what it looks like.
https://www.ossur.com/prosthetic-solutions/products/dynamic-solutions/pro-flex
Trying out these other ankles allowed me to see what else is out there and what works and doesn't work. Becasue of my experiance with these other ankles I was able to give a opinion based on real life use to the amputation team. So I asked to be able to trial another ankle and the doctors where glad to let me. So I came home with a Ossur Pro-Pivot which is another mechanical ankle. The difference between the one I was using in the study and this new one is 19* of more motion. The K2 Sensation I wore during the study has 8* of motion and the Pro-Pivot has 27* of motion.
I've been wearing the Pivot for less than 12 hours but so far I TOTALLY LOVE this ankle. Nothing can ever replace a human ankle but this ankle comes close and so far I can't find any fault with it. Here is what it looks like.
https://www.ossur.com/prosthetic-solutions/products/dynamic-solutions/pro-flex
OP
Well I have had this ankle for a week now and all I can say is I am AMAZED at how much better I walk and how much I LOVE this ankle. Having 27% of flex might sound like too much for some and not enough for others. All I know is that I feel more able to walk on my gravel driveway and road with this ankle. Even in my house I find I like the flex that this gives me.
OP
So as I have said before you shrink in size over the first 12-18 months after an amputation because you aren't using those muscles any longer plus for some of us we lose weight too. I was about 278 lbs when I went in for my amputation and when I was weighed last week I am down to 222 lbs now. So I was due for a new socket becaue of how much my leg has shrank since I got my last socket. I've lost over 2" in circumference. I like to design my own design for my wrap that goes on my socket. Here is my new wrap that will be going onto my new socket.
OP
The study I was in was funded by the DOD and VA so they were paying for all that. Being able to try out all those different ankles gave me a chance to really get to see different options. The K2 ankle in the study is what made me want to try out the Pivot.
In the prosthetic world you can test out different ankles for 60 days. Now I don't know how many they would let you try out before they would say ENOUGH but by me doing that study I got to try 3 different ankles out.
The Ossur Pro-Pivot that I have now has a MSRP of $19,999.00 so these things aren't cheap. The battery powered ankle I tested is a $45K ankle so none of this is cheap. I forget right now what a new socket costs but I think it is about $6K.
With the VA I have to show a reason for me to need it. So if I have a ankle I use 50% of my time and then another ankle I use the other 50% they will authorize me to have 2 or more ankles. I don't know about civilian insurance since I get all my stuff thru the VA.
In the prosthetic world you can test out different ankles for 60 days. Now I don't know how many they would let you try out before they would say ENOUGH but by me doing that study I got to try 3 different ankles out.
The Ossur Pro-Pivot that I have now has a MSRP of $19,999.00 so these things aren't cheap. The battery powered ankle I tested is a $45K ankle so none of this is cheap. I forget right now what a new socket costs but I think it is about $6K.
With the VA I have to show a reason for me to need it. So if I have a ankle I use 50% of my time and then another ankle I use the other 50% they will authorize me to have 2 or more ankles. I don't know about civilian insurance since I get all my stuff thru the VA.
OP
So I picked up my finished socket on Monday and am heading out on a 1,000 mile motorcycle trip on Friday.
Here is the finished product and I think it turned out AMAZING. My prosthesis really took his time on this and went out of his way to make it great.
Here is the finished product and I think it turned out AMAZING. My prosthesis really took his time on this and went out of his way to make it great.
My uncle had a BKA with a prosthesis and rode motorcycles too. He had a get off one time where he went one way and the leg went the other. He was hoping around in the ditch on his remaining leg, looking for the lost one when people came out of the wood work, trying to lay him down and put a tourniquet on him!