Breakthrough Prosthetic Knee System and Socket Technology Now Available to Patients at Sampson's

Sampson's Technician Mike Tallman Experiences New Levels of Mobility and Comfort from Otto Bock's Genium Bionic Prosthetic System and biodesigns inc. High-Fidelity Interface.

Sampson's Prosthetic & Orthotic Laboratory is the first in the region and among the first in the country to offer its patients a one-of-a-kind prosthetic knee, the Genium™ Bionic Prosthetic System from Otto Bock HealthCare. Sampson's also recently became licensed to fit biodesigns inc. High-Fidelity Interface.

The result of extensive research and development, the Genium is built on an entirely new prosthetic technology platform. This groundbreaking technology helps the user make quick, complex movements, easily step over obstacles, and even ascend stairs, step-over-step.

Sampson's has been a participant in the research and development of the Genium and. Sampson's technician Mike Tallman, an amputee, has been field testing the leg since mid 2010. Otto Bock also tapped Bill Sampson, CP, to be among the first practitioners to become certified in fitting the Genium.

The Genium offers a knee angle of 135 degrees, which is a normal range of motion for the able-bodied. "It's really a great product," Mike said, noting that his gait is smoother, he can take longer strides, step-over-step ascending stairways, and walk backwards, functions not possible with other microprocessor knees. Modes for different activities include in-line skating, downhill skiing, snowboarding, and cycling (both motor and pedal).

This is great for Mike who is an avid outdoorsman. He rides bicycles, drives an ATV, snow skis on one leg, and has taught skiing to others with disabilities. He fishes with buddies who show him no mercy when it comes to taking the path less traveled to get the best spot. Mike's never backed off from a challenge, but like every lower extremity amputee, he had to think about every step he took and where his leg would land. Uneven terrain, cracks in the sidewalk, misplaced items on floors or carpeting, all can cause a stumble or fall. "You have to be a quick thinker because it is easy to lose your balance with a prosthesis," he said. "The Genium provides stumble control, meaning I can change speed and direction without sacrificing stability. I fly radio-controlled planes and I can walk confidently into a field and not worry about falling."

Mike also pointed out that when amputees are standing at rest, their total body weight is put on their whole limb. This causes strain on knees, hips, back and shoulders. "The Genium alleviates that problem. You can bear weight into it until it senses a forward or backward motion," he said. "It's a lot easier to get the knee to come into a step than the C-Leg because with the C-Leg you had to have 60 percent of your weight load over the toe in order for it to free swing or to take a step through. But with the Genium, you need to use only 10 percent of your body weight. It's a lot easier in tighter spaces and walking in crowds. I use less energy and the walk itself feels and looks more natural.

Mike is also fit with the High-Fidelity (Hi-Fi) Interface, a unique socket design that provides comfort and stability without slippage.

The HiFi Interface for both upper and lower limb prosthetic wearers offers a radical departure from the traditional model in that it imparts a high level of intrinsic bone control by optimizing soft tissue flow and applying local and focused compression on the intrinsic bone." A four-bar compression strut system which utilizes four contact points on the leg and is able to bury through the soft tissue and connect closer to the bone, making it more responsive and controllable, as well as providing more comfort.

"It just locks into my anatomy a lot better than any other socket I had. It uses four points of pressure and locks into my femur. I have a short residual limb, about 8 ½ or 9 inches and I weigh about 200 pounds. That's a lot of torque on that small of a limb moving to the next step," Mike said. "With my old socket, it allowed my fatty tissue to move around a lot and I couldn't get the pressure to pick myself up without difficulty. With the Hi-Fi, there are even pressure points all the way around. It gives me more control, even walking down stairs. When I move, the leg moves. No slop in the socket at all. I was skeptical about trying it because I've been an amputee a long time and set in my ways. I was surprised how good it felt and how well it performed."

Mike has been an amputee since 1986, when he lost control of his motorcycle and the edge of a drainage pipe sheared off his leg. Prior to being fitted with the first C-Leg in 1999, he tried about a half-dozen prosthetic legs, none of which gave him the flexibility to adjust his stride or stop short, benefits the C-Leg provided. Now, the Genium is taking those features and more to the next level.

Click here to view pictures of Mike Tallman using the Genium™ Bionic Prosthetic System from Otto Bock HealthCare.