Lower Limb Amputee

[peanut]

I've just thought of something. Surely there will need to be an adjustable lock on the prosthesis for when your Dad sits down ? otherwise his leg will be stuck out straight.
If the unlocking feature could be made to stay in that position on the bike it might be easier to cycle.

If the saddle is set at the right height your Dads knee shouldn't come up very high anyway

 

[HobbesChoice]

When he sits down at the moment he does generally rest the leg straight out, but as it's new he takes it off whenever he can but you're right, it's not comfortable at all when he's sitting in his wheelchair and can't straighten his leg out. Ideally he wants to be wearing it when he's out in the chair as so many people stare and children make very innocent, sometimes funny but often embarrassing observations at the lack of shin and foot. Wearing the leg in the chair will prevent that hopefully.

To be honest, the more I think about it the more I think his leg is too long for him, but you do hope they know what they're doing as this is our first experience but hopefully not theirs.

Comparing cycling to sitting I would hope sitting would be a fair bit easier though as it would remain in one place most of the time other than the normal comfort movements at times. But cycling will be more of a grinding action? I say this but haven't really got a decent idea of the whole logistic thing. I'm seeing him again tomorrow so I'll have a better look at what's going on with normal wear and sitting.

 

[peanut]

what part of his leg was amputated ? is it below or above the knee ?

you might want to look at this site
http://www.amputee-online.com/amputee/onyerbike.html

and this
http://www.onelegtim.com/bicycle.html

 

[kyuss]

By the way you cannot drill and thread cranks there isn't enough metal on the arm of any crank and it would fail. It would need to be specially made

Really? Highpath Engineering amongst others would beg to differ. Crank shortening services have been offered for years.

HobbesChoice, you might want to take a look at this which seems to offer shorter pedal position without wrecking a good crank, though it would affect the Q factor.

Personally I agree with Peanut that this should really be sorted with a prosthesis that at least fits properly, if not one specifically designed for the job. I'm guessing it's early days but don't let them fob you off with a plastic peg leg, keep pushing for something fit for purpose. If cycling is such a big part of your fathers life it needs to be taken seriously when considering the best prosthesis for his needs.

 

[HobbesChoice]

That's a great link for the shorter pedal, thanks Kyuss!

He had a below the knee amputation in June and got his own leg the beginning of last week so it is early days but I think he needs the prosthesis to go up quite high for balancing him better when he walks, although that is just my speculation.

I think I'll go to the next appointment with him to find out more from the physio and prosthesis maker because he doesn't really know what to ask and doesn't like to "be a nuisance". Thanks again.

 

[Jonathan M]

Hi Paul iow - Thanks for the idea, but if he raises his saddle for his bad leg then the good leg will be a bit out of synch for pedalling. We can get a cleat shoe for his false foot, that's not much of a problem and we'll be doing this once he's got the balance right on the bike, but to start with he needs to feel he can get his false foot off quickly and easily. I think we'll just do a velcro patch up to keep the foot stable on the pedal initially as it won't take him long to gain enough confidence I shouldn't think.

Those links are helpful, thanks Paulinurus.

Could a spacer between the cleat & shoe sole be an acceptable way forward?

Only thinking of this becuase then he could fine tune the thickess of the spacer to suit, rather than being stuck with a 165 mm crank as example.


Forget this, I've thouight about it and using a spacer between cleat & shoe and when the crank is vertical this would most likely worsen the problem by causing your dad's knee to be more bent.

 

[amrushton]

Longstaff Cycles in Staffs used or may still do specialist help in regarding cranks for people who have difficulties like this.

 

[allen-uk]

Have a look at this thread

http://amputees.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ars&action=display&thread=41

on the amputee board I use. It is a discussion of all you need to do to bikes to make them rideable by amputees, including where to get the bits. I'm a bka myself.


Allen.

 

[Jonathan M]

Have a look at this thread

http://amputees.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ars&action=display&thread=41

on the amputee board I use. It is a discussion of all you need to do to bikes to make them rideable by amputees, including where to get the bits. I'm a bka myself.


Allen.

Good link Allen, hopefully the OP will get the assistance that he is after from that forum.

 

[joerudi.ak]

Hi there!
My Dad recently lost his lower leg just below the knee due to having diabetes and breaking his ankle in a fall He now has a brand new prosthesis though and is anxious to get back on the bike. His physio and prostheic fitter have both told him to fit a smaller pedal crank to his bike as the prosthesis prevents his leg coming all the way up (it digs too far into the back of his knee).
I've googled various terms for amputee pedals and cranks etc but the only thing I can find is they say to attach the false foot to the pedal in some way (ie. velcro, toe clips etc). Nothing about changing the pedal crank. But he really can't raise his knee high enough for the upward pedalling action, so would any of you know anything about this by any chance please?
Many thanks!

I am a double below the knee amputee and i was also told by PT and Prosthesis to try a shorter length crank arm as well. Getting a whole new prosthetic can be timely and expensive if insurance doesn't cover it. Raising the saddle is kind of freaky when getting on and off and can cause bigger injuries if you fall.

 

[TheDoctor]

This is a thread from 2009...

 

[joerudi.ak]

This is a thread from 2009...

Yup, and someone like me might be looking for answers to this question. doesn't matter if it's 2009 or 2023. There will always be new folks that are ability challenged wondering what they can do to get back to what they love to do. they might just find this thread.

 

[Peter Salt]

Yup, and someone like me might be looking for answers to this question. doesn't matter if it's 2009 or 2023. There will always be new folks that are ability challenged wondering what they can do to get back to what they love to do. they might just find this thread.

100% agree. If anything, one should applaud your ability to actually search the forum, especially a moderator.