My prosthesis has been updated with the Vari-Flex foot and I could not be happier.  I have a category 8 foot, which felt very stiff initially, but now it feels great.  Interestingly, during my last visit to the prosthetist, he showed me a broken Renegade foot (Freedom Innovations) that had just come in.  I had considered that foot, but the design seemed like it would have fairly sharp stress points as opposed to progressive loading like the foot I am now using.  We'll see what happens, but I have a good feeling about this foot.  I am going to try to get approval for a backup foot just in case.

Hello all,

After considerable research, I have decided to try the Ossur Vari-Flex foot for several reasons: a) very little that can go wrong with it and basically no maintenance, b) rated for my weight and activity level, c) lightweight, d) good overall structural design, e) active heel and split toe, f) seemingly high quality one-piece carbon fiber matrerial, g) allows for a cosmetic cover to be used, and h) Ossur appears to be a very major player that seems to be the most actively involved in foot designs and challenging applications for those designs.  One of the aspects of the design that is appealing is how loads are distributed.  There are no sharp bends or "kinks" in the carbon fiber and no hardware attached in a way that would impede the action or create a stress point on the carbon fiber.

My prosthetist obtained a trial foot and I have had it for one week.  Initially, the heel felt too soft and moving onto the ball of the foot took a little more effort than I was used to, as this is a category 8 foot and is a bit on the stiff side.  I am now finding the foot comfortable and my gait is very natural.  The active heel provides some shock absorbtion, and under load, there is good energy return on the forefoot.  The only negative aspect is that I have started to notice a "clicking" sound on certain parts of the step.  Given my history with broken feet, this is a little disconcerting, so I removed the cover to examine what might be happening.  So far, I have been unable to pinpoint the cause of this sound, so I'll have my prosthetist address it.

My inclination is to stay with this foot, but I am giving it another week or so after we address the noise I'm hearing.  If anyone else has had experience (good or bad) with this foot, please let me know.

Take care,

Jim