Happy New Year and I have a number of questions.
Firstly,
I currently have a 47 year old electrician who was involved in a work
accident 5 months ago resulting in an AKA which
is effectively a through knee in length.
We have provided him with rehab and he has been walking on a Bock Four Bar
knee and we have trialled
a number of different feet. He now walks well with the aid of one single
stick at times and has returned to work
3 days per week. His claim has been accepted by his insurance company and
therefore we can probably fit
him with whatever we (and he) wants and needs.
He weighs 79 kg (173.8lbs for Americans) and he would like to return to
active sport including brisk walking and if possible
jogging and at work he stands for prolonged periods.
Our major need is a Four Bar Linkage Knee, with a hydraulic/pneumatic
cylinder with swing/stance phase control and if possible
a manual lock.
As I understand it there are few Four Bar knees which are hyrdaulic and
which also have a manual lock. I am aware of
a couple ie Blatchford however I am unsure as to durability etc. I have
used the USMC OHC with the dyna plex unit however the manual lock available
on this is almost impossible for a patient to operate if they have a
cosmetic cover. I also note that USMC has recently downgraded the weight
limit on this to 70kgs.
I would also like recommendations for the same components but on a patient
who weighs 130kgs (286lbs)
Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Secondly,
I recently saw an English woman who was wearing a pair of Basketball boots
which were in fact extra depth. I would estimate that
they had at least 8mm (3/8″ for Americans) extra depth and they suited her
as she has multiple arthritic problems.
I have provided her with a new pair of foot orthoses (read orthotics for
non anal retentives) but I would very much like to know
the address etc of the maker. The only information I could glean was that
the companies name was “Molinari”, it was Italian, and the model was called
“Ergonomic’.
Any useful pointers ie address etc would be appreciated. Infoseek drew a
blank.
Phillip Francis,
Phillip Francis & Company P/L
45 Ballarat Road,
NTH GEELONG, VIC., 3215.
AUSTRALIA.
Phone 61 3 52792251 Fax 61 3 52792366
email [email protected]
