I’m so grateful that I was trained in the “old days” where the only way to manufacture a prosthetic leg was by making it from plaster models. Many amputees had to wear thigh corsets like the below, as their residual limb did not allow for any other suspension method.
When 40-year old Teboho walks into your practice still wearing the first prosthesis he got at the age of 17, you have to be able to switch your mindset from technological advances, and rely more on your experience from many years ago. Quite the interesting challenge!
Teboho is receiving a “modern take” on a below knee prosthesis with a Thigh Corset and Side Steels.
His residual limb is extremely short, and he has been walking with a corset for 23 years. This means that he and the muscles have become accustomed to its shape and level of support. His knee joint has just about disappeared.
My solution was to adapt, rather than to change it completely, and so we came up with a light, more secure version of the old prosthetic.
We fitted him with modular components, a silicone liner and lock, with a thigh corset just like the one that he is used to.
Teboho, we are so happy that you could finally get a new prosthesis after 22 years! I believe it was worth the wait. We wish you many happy steps ahead!