Wednesday, August 15, 2012, 10:27 AM
[
General]
Hey fellow above knee amputees. My ortho says my knee is sprained. MRI showed nothing, so I guess I have to believe it truly is a sprain. It's been over a month and it still hurts. As you all know, our one and only knee takes a beating, so rest is not an option. I was given exercises to do to strengthen my quads, but that seems ridiculous to me. How is exercising that leg not irritating the crap out of a sprain? I had a cortisone shot, which did help to some degree, but not completely. When I work out my leg, I'm dying the next day. The process of sitting and standing is hell. Can anyone give me their experience and what helped?
Thanks!
Cheryl
Saturday, September 24, 2011, 12:40 AM
[
General]
For those of you who remember I was trying to figure out which knee to use, I think I've settled on Plié 2. I trialed the c-leg first, loved many aspects of it, but couldn't get my knees centered. I had too many components like the rotator for the knee, pin suspension, and the torsion piece. Additionally, I hated the Otto Bock feet! So I trialed the Plié 2. Much lighter, but I'll be honest, it seems sooooo much like my old Mauch hydraulic knee. I hated the hydraulics so I always left it in "free swing". I'm still trying to figure out the benefit of this expensive knee. My prosthetists were struggling to figure out why I began catching my prosthetic foot on the ground during swing through. We finally solved that riddle after trying everything, and finally calling in an expert from freedom who flew in from Houston. We solved some the issues with knee centering by getting rid of the pin and utilizing a lanyard, and took out both the torsion adapter and the rotator piece. That knee rotator is such an amazing piece of equipment. You can rotate your knee so you can easilly take off and put on pants, as well as shoes. So I got to bring home a leg to try for two days this week. I felt like a a caged animal being released after not walking for 8 months! I walked so much in one day in my house, with so much excitement to clean my house without cumbersome crutches or wheelchair, that I it got blisters on my foot. I think that is hilarious. I had so many aches and pains and didn't care, because I was walking! Sadly, I dropped it off yesterday so another test socket can be pulled. If it fits well, I'll get to test the leg again next Monday for another couple days. So the longggg process for me continues.
Send Message 
Add Friend 
Block User 
Invite to Group 
Report User 
There are ways to combine suspension methods... using partial vacuum suspension in addition to a pin, or a very popular suspension method lately for AK's is an expulsion valve with Seal-In liners. It moves the suspension point up higher about 6" but avoids the completely "stuck in" feel that you get with traditional pull sock suction. (direct to skin) I just used this lock: www.willowwoodco.com/products-and-servic... in addition to this pull-on sealing gasket: www.evoii.com/index.php?option=com_conte... The idea is in addition to normal pin/lock suspension the gasket applied to the liner pushes all the air out of the bottome of the socket to create a semi-vacuum that will better stick the prosthesis to you without the messiness of total suction. Sometimes the addition of the gasket alone also prevents rotation by increasing friction. There is also what is called "elevated" vacuum, where a small battery powered pump is added to the socket and after you slide into the socket with a liner of your choice, with some kind of proximal seal, a pump pulls out all the air and you are sucked into the limb. The potential down side is that if there is a distal void (space at the end of the limb) you end up with essentially a suction blister... Pin suspension alone with AK's can be problematic, as the weight of the limb pulls your tissue down in swing... and everything shifts. Have you tried a KISS suspension strap? That all but eliminates rotation, as long as you don't mind a velcro strap permenantly fixed to the outside of your leg! M
Mike10:50 AM