M.P. is a 50 year old female who required a series of spinal surgeries resulting in placement of extensive rods throughout her entire spine and titanium plates in her neck. Postoperative complications left her paralyzed in a wheelchair for nearly 3 years. She injured her right leg in 1998 and required an AK amputation in 2003 for ongoing problems related to the injury. Soon after she was fitted with a traditional prosthetic device.

CASE SPECIFIC CHALLENGES:

M.P. found that her prosthetic was uncomfortable, hot and limited her ability to stand up straight. She found the weight of the device would become a significant problem for her by the end of the day. She required several replacement sockets at significant cost over the next several years. She noted marked changes in her stump from the beginning of the day to the end, requiring her to add or subtract multiple socks to get the proper fit. The prosthetic device affected her gait in such a way that she experienced pain in her hips and back.

CASE SPECIFIC SOLUTION:

M.P. began using the LegSim in 2004. She quickly found that she was able to standup straight again functioning at "eye-level," feeling both more comfortable and secure.

CASE SPECIFIC RESULTS:

The pain in her back was no longer present once she started to use the LegSim. Depending on her day, she would use another traditional device for some activities but would revert back to the LegSim for others. She would use the LegSim for long walks with her husband, talking to neighbors while sitting on the seat. She was able to hold groceries or her grandchildren while using her stump to steady the device. This gave her the use of both hands for activities of daily life. She felt much more comfortable and secure holding her grandchildren using the LegSim than the other prosthetic device. M.P. also felt more secure knowing that, in an emergency, she could quickly exit a building without having to put on her prosthesis. The step pedometer on her LegSim averages 100,000 steps per month.

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