It’s been a few months since I’ve posted an update on my rehab progress.
Back in mid-March the black carbon fiber socket that attaches the Robo-Leg to my stump, started to become loose as the swelling completely subsided from the big hip contusion I got last October when my dog tipped over the wheelchair.
The prosthetists suggested that it would be worthwhile to get me into the Robo-Leg as soon as possible, and they would deal with the loose fit as the swelling subsided by adding foam padding inside the socket. This strategy worked for about 10 weeks through mid-March when I was able to walk 1.5 to 2 miles outside with a rollator at a pretty good pace. Regrettably, my socket started to twist to the lateral side, and my right foot would be pointing off at about a 30 degree angle to the direction of travel, and I’d have to stop about every 1/4 mile to corkscrew the foot back into alignment. This obviously wasn’t very functional.
The Prosthetists tried various ideas to fix the problem over the next month, but eventually decided that I needed a new carbon fiber socket made at a cost of about $12,000. The fitting and fabrication process for a new socket takes about 6 weeks if everything goes well and you don’t have any insurance delays. Since I have traditional Medicare, the prothetists were able to provide me with a few bullet points that needed to be in the prescription that my PCP would have to write to justify the need for the new socket. I scheduled an office visit with her the next day and she’d already researched what was required before I arrived. She had no problem with pointers from the prosthetic people and produced a stellar clinical note. The prosthetic clinic emailed me the next day with the news that the prescription was excellent and they could start making the cast of my stump for the new mold immediately, there was no need to wait for the official Medicare approval from CMS – they were sure it would go through.
I got the new socket 2 weeks ago. The upper part of my stump had increased in size by about a centimeter between the last test socket fitting (2 weeks prior) and the final socket manufacture. This made it impossible to sink my leg all the way into the bottom of the new socket. The prosthetists suggested I walk on it for a couple of weeks to see if putting weight on my limb would sink it into the bottom of the socket. It took about a week, but the last few days I’ve been able to walk at a pretty good pace using the new socket. (See video.)
I emailed the video to the prosthetic team the day before my Friday visit to clinic to check the status of the new socket.. They were very excited to see the pace that I was walking and detected a slight imperfection in my gait that they were somehow able to correct by twisting the Robo-Knee in one direction, and the Robo-Foot in the opposite direction. My leg is now operating on the straight and narrow. I was able walk 2 miles this evening with my dog, and didn’t have any issues with the leg.
In the video you’ll note that I have a 2x4 piece of wood wedged between the forks of the front wheels of the rollator. Those wheels are on 360 degree castors and I found it difficult to walk safely at any pace with the sideways motion from the castors. The prosthetists suggested it would be better if I walked at a slower pace with less of my weight on the handlebars of the rollator. That would challenge my balance more.
I stopped going to Physical Therapy (PT) in mid-March when the socket started getting loose. I didn’t see much value in doing the therapy with malfunctioning hardware. They still gave me enough exercises I could do on my own to improve my balance, so I did that while I was waiting the 2 months for the new socket. I have my next PT appointment on June 23 and I hope to be close to walking without an aluminum walker or cane by then. I’ve already started to move around inside my condo by walking around by grabbing onto a piece of furniture or countertop. I started making the 20 ft trip from the front door to the top of the stairs by staying close to the building wall to maintain my balance rather than use the walker. When I drive to the grocery store, I usually park next to one of the cages in the middle of the lot for the shopping carts. Make my way around the vehicle by holding on with one hand and then grabbing a shopping cart from the cage. I then use the shopping cart as my walker in the store which makes shopping go a little faster. (This also frees up one of the Handicapped parking spots for the able-bodied miscreants who seem to be filling them up. {{ LOL }} )
intercst
