New technology to aid amputees
Marinella Mozzicato - The Oracle (U. South Florida)
Issue date: 1/25/08 Section: Science and Technology
People without prosthetic limbs normally go up and down stairs by alternating their legs, which distributes weight evenly. For people with prosthetics, placing a lot of strain on the non-amputated knee can cause injury or arthritis.
"I just keep on doing my right leg over and over again," Dickson said. "I go up one step, have my two feet on the step, then go up one more step."
Researchers hope the Power Knee can help amputees avoid some of these adverse health impacts.
Sensors for the Power Knee are attached to the non-amputated leg at the ankle and inside the sole of a shoe. This way, the prosthetic can mimic the action of the other leg. There are also sensors inside the Power Knee itself so it can monitor the amount of weight being placed on it.
However, the Power Knee doesn't know every step a person will take.
"Say, for example, you're walking up to a set of stairs," Highsmith said. "Well, it doesn't know."
In order to tell the Power Knee to walk up a set of stairs, the person has to do a series of movements to cue the action, he said.
"It's very deliberate," Highsmith said.
But unlike the C-Leg that Dickson uses, the Power Knee costs about $125,000, leaving insurance companies reluctant to cover the expense.
Highsmith hopes that by demonstrating how the Power Knee alleviates strain from the non-amputated knee, insurance companies will cover some of the cost.
"I think it's safe to say at this point that it is helping to unload the knee," Highsmith said.
The Power Knee is not designed for everyone, however. People who use the Power Knee should have a strong frame, as it weighs about 10 pounds. Children aren't recommended to use the Power Knee.
Ossur also has a prosthetic foot, the Proprio Foot, which closely resembles a human foot, according to the Web site.
"The future would be to somehow combine the two technologies," Highsmith said.
Although Dickson doesn't have a Power Knee, he doesn't use a prosthetic to participate in his latest hobby: rock climbing. He said he'd be interested in getting a Power Knee if insurance covered it, but was very happy with his C-Leg.
"I just keep on doing my right leg over and over again," Dickson said. "I go up one step, have my two feet on the step, then go up one more step."
Researchers hope the Power Knee can help amputees avoid some of these adverse health impacts.
Sensors for the Power Knee are attached to the non-amputated leg at the ankle and inside the sole of a shoe. This way, the prosthetic can mimic the action of the other leg. There are also sensors inside the Power Knee itself so it can monitor the amount of weight being placed on it.
However, the Power Knee doesn't know every step a person will take.
"Say, for example, you're walking up to a set of stairs," Highsmith said. "Well, it doesn't know."
In order to tell the Power Knee to walk up a set of stairs, the person has to do a series of movements to cue the action, he said.
"It's very deliberate," Highsmith said.
But unlike the C-Leg that Dickson uses, the Power Knee costs about $125,000, leaving insurance companies reluctant to cover the expense.
Highsmith hopes that by demonstrating how the Power Knee alleviates strain from the non-amputated knee, insurance companies will cover some of the cost.
"I think it's safe to say at this point that it is helping to unload the knee," Highsmith said.
The Power Knee is not designed for everyone, however. People who use the Power Knee should have a strong frame, as it weighs about 10 pounds. Children aren't recommended to use the Power Knee.
Ossur also has a prosthetic foot, the Proprio Foot, which closely resembles a human foot, according to the Web site.
"The future would be to somehow combine the two technologies," Highsmith said.
Although Dickson doesn't have a Power Knee, he doesn't use a prosthetic to participate in his latest hobby: rock climbing. He said he'd be interested in getting a Power Knee if insurance covered it, but was very happy with his C-Leg.
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