Spring Break
New technology to aid amputees
Marinella Mozzicato - The Oracle (U. South Florida)
Issue date: 1/25/08 Section: Science and Technology
(U-WIRE) TAMPA, Fla. - When 20-year-old Ronnie Dickson had his lower leg amputated more than two years ago, he was fitted for an artificial leg that couldn't compare to the one he has today.
"It's really about the closest thing (for me) out on the market to walking normally," Dickson said.
Today, Dickson, a junior at the University of South Florida, uses the C-Leg by Otto Bock, a prosthetic knee that adjusts as he walks using a microprocessor. Dickson said his new knee is a lot smoother than the last and is more versatile.
Seven test subjects helped with the research study by using the Power Knee. Testing allows researchers to make improvements. Insurance companies may be more receptive to buying the product for their customers if they have proof of its effectiveness and its positive results, researchers say.
Dr. Michael Jason Highsmith, the project manager, says the Power Knee is the only prosthetic knee that offers power-assistance, which allows a prosthetic knee to operate similarly to a natural knee.
"There's nothing close," Highsmith said.
While previous technology, like the C-Leg, are more geared toward safety and falling, the Power Knee allows for more fine-tuned activities such as climbing stairs or rising from chairs.
"If you're sitting in a chair with your knees bent to 90 degrees and you go to stand up, what's happening at the knee is your leg is straightening," Highsmith said. "That's the power-assist feature; it will help to straighten the knee."
And while the C-Leg is effective for walking down stairs and sitting down, it lacks the ability to move up stairs or get up out of chairs.
"The normal way for me to go up stairs is going one leg at a time," Dickson said.
"It's really about the closest thing (for me) out on the market to walking normally," Dickson said.
Today, Dickson, a junior at the University of South Florida, uses the C-Leg by Otto Bock, a prosthetic knee that adjusts as he walks using a microprocessor. Dickson said his new knee is a lot smoother than the last and is more versatile.
Seven test subjects helped with the research study by using the Power Knee. Testing allows researchers to make improvements. Insurance companies may be more receptive to buying the product for their customers if they have proof of its effectiveness and its positive results, researchers say.
Dr. Michael Jason Highsmith, the project manager, says the Power Knee is the only prosthetic knee that offers power-assistance, which allows a prosthetic knee to operate similarly to a natural knee.
"There's nothing close," Highsmith said.
While previous technology, like the C-Leg, are more geared toward safety and falling, the Power Knee allows for more fine-tuned activities such as climbing stairs or rising from chairs.
"If you're sitting in a chair with your knees bent to 90 degrees and you go to stand up, what's happening at the knee is your leg is straightening," Highsmith said. "That's the power-assist feature; it will help to straighten the knee."
And while the C-Leg is effective for walking down stairs and sitting down, it lacks the ability to move up stairs or get up out of chairs.
"The normal way for me to go up stairs is going one leg at a time," Dickson said.
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