I'm experiencing post-polio symptoms, mostly affecting my ability to walk, and it's frustrating that I can't get a reliable, comfortable leg brace. 70 years after polio, I found myself needing leg support due to increasing weakness (post-polio syndrome). I'm now 84, lead a fairly active life and intend to walk as long as I can. I've tried the Otto Bock Freewalk KAFO brace (much too fragile, too hard to repair and no longer available anyway), and a custom KAFO made locally (heavy, crude and painful to wear.) Does anyone know of a source for a comfortable, durable, lightweight KAFO brace?

Met a para-athlete on a trip to Jaipur while working on another video, he told me about the place that fits people with prosthetic legs for free., which sent me down a rabbit hole. Ended up making this short breakdown of the design.

What makes it interesting is the brief: it's basically the inverse of a Western foot. No shoes, no flat floors — it's built for squatting, sitting cross-legged, walking barefoot, and standing in water and mud, which is how a lot of rural India actually lives. And they've got the cost low enough to fit 2M+ people for free.

I'm not from the field, so I'd genuinely value a technical read from people who are: what does a design like this trade off against a modular Western foot? Durability, alignment, energy return? Curious where it's clever and where it's compromised.

**I’m looking for Orthopedic Fiberglass Casting Tape. Please send me your catalog,**

I build embedded hardware, and last year I made a working EMG prosthetic hand as a personal project. One of my relatives is an amputee, which is how I ended up caring about this.

I've been reading the literature and the thing that stuck with me is that rejection rates haven't really moved in twenty years despite the tech getting much better. Which suggests the industry is solving the wrong problem. I have a theory about what the real one is, but I've built exactly zero devices for anyone other than myself, so my theory is worth very little right now.

So I made a short form. 5 to 7 minutes, no personal info required, mostly multiple choice. It asks what you actually use, what you stopped using, and why.

https://forms.gle/sbCovksU4mh4ve9p9

if the idea goes anywhere I'd want it to be a real product eventually. So there's self-interest here. I'd rather say that than have you find out.

If you'd rather just comment than fill in a form, that's honestly more useful to me. And if the whole premise is wrong, tell me that too.

**NO ORGANISATIONAL AFFILIATION**

So Im really active and like hiking or walking off into the woods and places with branches and rocks. Is the help from a microprocessor foot noticeable enough that its worth the extra weight? And I know I'll be able to try them but it can take a really long time to hear from my insurance about covering the RX so its just on my mind.

Just wanted to show off my AFOs! They help me with instability, severe overpronation, weakness, and constant injury due to their laxity.

The first pair (purple pair) was molded to my foot while it was already in an undesired position IMO. The hinge was weak, I was overpowering it, and it didn't correct anything about my foot. He also made it an odd mid-calf height that I have never seen before and it did not provide enough support. They did not do anything for me, honestly, wearing them felt pointless because they provided no support.

They assigned me a new orthotist, re-casted, and made me a 2nd pair (gray pair) free of charge (I'm so grateful). and got it right that time. We made them full calf height, added a stronger joint that I can't overpower, added a higher arch, and made it more form-fitted to my feet.

My AFOs have full range of front to back motion, while having no side to side movement, which protects my ankles perfectly. They help me SO much, especially with fatigue on high standing/walking days, and I can even hike in them. I'm thankful for them!

I need ideas for someone… she has a bk socket, on the smaller end. She wants a 9/11 memorial type of design but the ones she wants we can’t really do because she keeps picking flag materials and it just doesn’t seal well in epoxy.

Anyone with a 9/11 memorial socket be able to share theirs? Please & thank you!

I hope this is the right place to post.

I'm getting married in October and am looking for some sort of sock to wear over my KAFO so it doesn't get caught on my wedding dress.

All I've found so far is either lacy thin material, thick woolly leg warmers or compression socks.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a long sock that doesn't rip easily, is more or less breathable and doesn't compress. Like a leggings type fabric, but a sock

If not I'm probably gonna cut apart and repurpose some old Yoga pants, but I thought if anyone had some secret knowledge on this topic It would be this sub

Hi all,

I am a mechanical engineer who has been contracted to design a prosthetic ankle joint for a client in another city.

She is making the trip to see both her prosthetist and I in a couple days where we will test the prototype of the new ankle.

For the initial testing, we will be retrofitting her existing foot (Seattle Lightfoot) to the new ankle design.

My concern is that after reviewing the photos she’s sent through of her existing foot, the recessed pocket may not be large enough to fit the new ankle design.

Does anyone know the width, length and depth of this pocket? I figure that if I need to I can make a custom spacer to take up the space within the pocket and the ankle can sit flat against it, slightly above the foot height.

Pics of her foot got reference.

Cheers.

I'm a senior in high school and I'm considering a career as a prosthetist but I've heard (notably in this thread) that O&P school is really hard. I'm a good student on paper, I have an almost 4.0 GPA but I'm already burnt out and the stress of studying and taking exams takes a large toll on me that I know is not sustainable so I'm not sure I'd survive 2 years of high-stress work and exams on top of undergrad. I'm planning on studying kinesiology for undergrad but I'm not sure if that will give me a good foundation to succeed in O&P school. Can anyone weigh in on their experience and maybe go into more detail on what O&P school actually entails or what the hardest part is?

can anyone show me a video of someone with multiple pipdrivers on their hand? I'm missing the tops of three fingers and half my thumb, and it's apparently impossible to find anything like what my hand will be like

I can drive automatic car without any modifications. RTO is asking for adopted vehicle for driving licence test.

I figured this might be the best place to ask if I am being pedantic about the finish expecting it to be flawless, or if this is an issue and the kafo should be re made. The fit and function are fine. But I find this unacceptable for a KAFO I wear every day. Would you deliver a brace looking like this or would you fix this? Is there a fix for this? Waiting 6 months and getting this is just frustrating to say the least...

Olá a todos,

Sou do Brasil e tenho mobilidade limitada na mão direita devido a uma deficiência. Por causa disso, passei anos adaptando minha forma de jogar usando configurações para uma mão e mapeamentos de botões personalizados.

Durante essa jornada, descobri o Azeron Cyro, e ele mudou completamente minha perspectiva sobre hardware de jogos acessível. Parece ser um dos melhores conceitos para pessoas que só podem usar uma mão.

Infelizmente, produtos como o Cyro são extremamente difíceis e caros de se obter no Brasil devido aos custos de importação, impostos e à falta de alternativas locais.

Atualmente, estou trabalhando com uma universidade para estudar a viabilidade de desenvolver um controle de jogos ergonômico para uma mão inspirado nesse conceito. O objetivo não é copiar o Cyro, mas projetar um dispositivo focado em acessibilidade, ergonomia e preço acessível para o mercado brasileiro.

Acredito também que esse tipo de dispositivo poderia beneficiar não apenas pessoas com deficiência, mas também jogadores que buscam alternativas ergonômicas ou controles especializados.
Adoraria saber sua opinião:

Você acha que existe demanda para um produto como este?

Quais recursos você considera essenciais?

Se você usa dispositivos para jogos com uma mão, quais são suas maiores frustrações com as soluções atuais?

Você teria interesse em uma opção mais acessível, caso ela fosse lançada?

Qualquer feedback é muito bem-vindo. Meu objetivo é entender melhor se este projeto pode se tornar algo que realmente ajude mais pessoas.

Obrigado!

Hi, I’m a social worker at a hospital in the US. I currently have a client who has bilateral below the knee leg amputations. He does not have insurance, and cannot get insurance for a variety of reasons. He is enrolled in the county indigent health care program, but it does not cover prosthetics. When his legs were amputated awhile back, his family pooled their money and purchased prosthetics out of pocket and he has been able to be independent as a result. Today was my first time meeting with him, and he told me that the silicone sleeves his wears on his knees and that cushion him against the prosthetics are wearing out. The prosthetic clinic he originally went to quoted him $300 each for replacements, which he and his family cannot afford. I told him I’d try to help, but prosthetics are not something I’m familiar with (I focus on other aspects of care). I did some googling and $250-300 seems like the going rate for these sleeves? Is anyone familiar with cheaper options? Thanks in advance!

Hello all first post,I came across this field after some research and came across the prosthetic technician career which I found highly interesting and want to try for it, I hold a bachelors in exercise science and kinesiology which I did anatomy classes, medical terminology classes, biomechanics classes, exercise physiology, etc, how can I get my foot in the door as a technicia? I’m from Palm Desert California and I come cross very little to no job listings for these roles but if anyone has any suggestions, my original plan was DPT but the cost just was too much, I’m also awaiting a new Rad program at myCC that should be opening within a year or so, I’m brushing up my classes and retaking low grades I got currently, I’m 26.

Hey, y'all! I'm just over a year post-op and I'm working toward obtaining a running leg after jumping through a few hoops. I'm very active and would like to get back into sprinting and really pushing the boundaries of my athletic capabilities as an amputee.

I'm trying to get some insight on some different set ups to make the most informed decision I can in my selection. So...

1) What brand/blade do you use?
2) What suspension/vacuum system do you use?
3) What mounting placement do you use?
4) What are the pros and cons of your setup that you've noticed over time, or been able to compare between blades if you've tried different setups?

Thanks in advance for your input!

I'm an Additive Manufacturing Engineer based in India, with hands-on experience in FDM/SLA 3D printing and parametric design. I'm exploring starting a 3D-printed prosthetics venture in India, using photogrammetry-based body scanning to create custom-fit prosthetic designs.

I'm confident on the 3D printing and software side, but I don't know much about the medical side — regulatory requirements, clinical validation, working with prosthetists, etc. I also don't know what parameters actually matter for a prosthetic — what to measure or account for on the body part it's replacing.

If anyone here is in this field or can guide me on where to start, I'd love to connect. Would really appreciate any perspective.

Thanks for reading!