Singizile has been a patient of Jaco Deist and his team since infancy. She and her family are wonderful people who have nothing but love for each other.
Since Singizile was a young girl her family expressed their concern over the way her prosthetic leg appeared, fearing she would be bullied or treated differently. She has to look and feel comfortable and confident with her prosthetic to live a “normal” life.
Singizile has a long Above Knee amputation which is beneficial to the function of a prosthetic for walking. This is due to the long residual limb left to control the prosthesis. The longer lever/residual limb does, however, have a negative influence on the cosmetic part. It makes it more difficult to shape to the right size, as the prosthetic knee is lower than it should be, protruding in the calf area and the long thigh/socket makes it difficult to shape the thigh area to size.
So, once the prosthetic knee joint is fitted at the end of the socket, it puts it in a lower position than her other sound knee. This is what influences the shape of the prosthesis on the calf area and the longer socket, making the shaping of the thigh area much more complex.
“It is a challenge to get a good and acceptable cosmetic shape and to get it to the right size. We love Singizile and we did everything possible to make her happy!
Enjoy every moment Singizile!” – Jaco Deist
Despite these challenges Jaco Deist and his team have made another happy patient smile with a functional and beautiful prosthetic. For more information read our blog or contact us directly at Deist & Associates.