Bionic Technology
by KFYR TV Juli McDonald
Posted on 12/30/2011
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Bionics are prosthetics that are designed to be as close to the natural limb as possible. Living with a prosthetic hasn’t always been a walk in the park. Patients who use bionic technology today have to adjust to just how easy moving is with their new limb.
It was a tragic car accident 28 years ago that took Steve Prasek’s right leg. Working as a farmer, he wasn`t easy on his artificial limbs over the years. And they weren`t easy on him, either.
“The legs I had before were just mechanical, so it was like a hinge on a door. If it was not extended all the way and I stepped on it, I fell over. To walk down a slanted floor, a slanted sidewalk would have been very difficult because it would always want to buckle and fall over. Going down steps it was one leg at a time because I couldn’t do steps,” Steve says.
About a month ago, Steve got this bionic leg. It’s going to make a world of difference but it could take some time before he’ll reap all the benefits.
“When a patient first becomes an amputee and goes to physical therapy, the main goal of PT is keep your patient safe. That means we teach them how to be safe, and safe means use all your muscles to make sure the knee doesn’t buckle. You live your entire life as an amputee in the safe mode,” says Eric Lieux, CPO at Great Plains Rehabilitation Services.
But with Steve’s new leg, the microprocessor that controls it is now the safe mode. It constantly monitors his position, so if the leg isn`t fully extended, Steve’s not going anywhere. The microprocessor does the hard work, which means Steve can let go and keep moving.
“It means I have to trust a leg. That’s very hard to do because I`ve never trusted a leg. I always knew if you didn’t treat it properly, you were going to fall on your face,” says Steve.
But thanks to his bionic leg Steve isn’t going to fall on his face. And that’s a peace of mind he’ll need, whether he’s riding his motorcycle or chasing his new grandchild around.
Many patients who wear bionics have to plug into the wall to charge their device. Patients who wear Steve`s model have the convenience of carrying their power source with them in the form of a small cell phone battery.
Click play to watch the video above.