TECHNOLOGY WITH LEGS: THE POWER KNEE --

Prosthetics changing to meet the needs

of wounded veterans.

Story here... http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/money/homepage/article_1223394.php

Story below:

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Technology with legs

The power knee by Ossur is among the innovations in prosthetics changing to meet the needs of wounded veterans.

By COURTNEY PERKES
The Orange County Register

Erick Castro, a Santa Ana soldier who lost a leg in Iraq, can ski down mountain slopes. He walks long distances to his engineering classes at Arizona State University. But he can't scale a staircase without planting both feet on each step.

It may seem trivial, but Castro lives in a two-story house.

He hopes to have an easier time on the stairs with the latest in prosthetic technology: the Power Knee made by Ossur, which has its North American headquarters in Aliso Viejo. Injured veterans like Castro have been among the first to use the company's new bionic line that uses wireless technology to anticipate the body's movement for a smoother, more powerful motion.

The knee is part of an industry-wide push to create smarter limbs. Researchers from several universities are working to connect prosthetics directly to the nervous system, including a $55 million project to build an artificial arm.

"Since I don't have a left leg, I need all the help I can get," says Castro, 26, who wears another Ossur leg but has asked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the Power Knee. "From what I hear, it's supposed to be a big jump in technology. It can actually carry your weight up the stairs. Coming down, I should be able to do it like a normal person."

War has always driven innovation in prosthetics. Technology in the 21st century, though, is also a powerful force.

The prosthetic industry in America started during the Civil War, when amputees hobbled off the battlefield on legs crafted from wood, leather and straps. By World War II, advancements centered in Europe, home to most of the wounded troops.

With the war in Iraq in its fourth year, the federal government is investing in prosthetic research. To date, 448 troops have lost arms, legs, hands or feet fighting there or in Afghanistan. Although recent veterans are a fraction of the estimated 1.8 million Americans who have lost a limb, the attention and resources devoted to them eventually will benefit all amputees.

"Every other prosthetic revolution took place around wartime," said Timothy McCarthy, vice president of sales and marketing for Ossur.

In Ossur's case, the bionic devices were already under development before the fighting began. McCarthy said such high-tech prosthetics take years to research, design and eventually manufacture, but company officials expect to quickly refine these products through feedback from soldiers.

For one thing, the federal government pays for top-of-the-line care. Additionally, troops place high demands on their prosthetics, said Maj. David Rozelle, administrator of the Amputee Care Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

"There are very few places you can go on this planet where you have this many healthy, active, non-quitters that you can test things on," Rozelle said. "If it's not good technology, they're going to let you know."

Rozelle lost a foot in Iraq. He not only returned for a second tour but ran the New York City Marathon in 4 hours, 13 minutes. He said five amputees have returned to the same battlefield with prosthetics, a phenomenon unheard of in any other war. In fact, the prosthetic he used is in a museum at Fort Carson in Colorado.

The federal government has pumped close to $60 million into prosthetic research since the Sept. 11 attacks, said Bob Gailey, a Florida physical therapist who works as a contractor for the Defense Department and Ossur.

"There's more dollars going to research today than has taken place in the last 20 years because the Department of Defense and the VA wants to elevate the care for these soldiers coming back," Gailey said. "The technology that's coming out of this conflict is still in the laboratory."

Though private companies such as Ossur aren't receiving research grants, they are receiving more attention from the media, because high-profile war amputees are wearing their products.

In May, the company helped sponsor a fitness clinic at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas at which 20 returning soldiers, with or without Ossur-brand prosthetics, underwent training on running, jumping and resuming their normal activities.

"Let's make sure these 18-year-olds that want to run again can have the proper form," McCarthy said.

All agree the future hinges on creating prosthetics that can "think" with neuro-sensing instead of motion detection.

Ossur spent about six years developing the Power Knee, which is billed to insurance at a cost of more than $100,000.

The microprocessor knee takes cues from the natural leg through a sensor on the foot to measure the body's motion and position. That information is transmitted to the Power Knee instantaneously. The prosthesis is then able to calculate how much power the leg needs for greater ease of motion and a more natural-looking gait. At night, the amputee removes the prosthetic and plugs it into an electrical outlet to charge.

"It's energy-efficient, especially if you're just walking on one leg," said Eythor Bender, president of Ossur North America. "Usually, they have to swing their leg forward. This really helps them go step-over-step."

Veterans are also receiving the Proprio Foot, which measures changing terrain and movement. The ankle mimics the natural movement of a foot and lifts the toes when taking a step to clear the ground. It costs about $15,000 and will be in full release Oct. 1.

Prosthetists say not every amputee needs or wants the most advanced and expensive technology.

But as the veterans make them more commonplace, eventually insurers will be more willing to buy them for diabetics and those hurt in industrial accidents or car crashes.

Carlos Sambrano, Castro's prosthetist in Torrance, said that when he began his career 30 years ago he worked with wooden knees.

"In 10 years from now, who knows?" Sambrano said. "It's possible with this stem cell research maybe we'll start growing legs back. Technology is changing so fast."

CONTACT US: 714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com

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Larry Scott

(go back to VA Watchdog dot Org Home Page)

	Web www.vawatchdog.org

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