Chronicle of a Prosthetic Limb....PART FIVE

January 25, 2013  Today I was able to test out the Echelon foot. At the time we arrived for our appointment, snow began to fall in Baltimore, which is an infrequent occurrence. When I stood up on the Echelon foot, Dennis made a couple of adjustments to align the foot properly, then I walked up and down the hall. Ambulating on this foot has a different feel because of the hydraulics. On a level surface,  it feels like I am walking over a hump with my right foot. This foot has more adjustment possibilities than the Venture foot that I tried on Wednesday. The stiffness of the plantarflexion and dorsiflexion (pointing and flexing of the foot) can be adjusted. Mine needed some adjustment, so after this was done, my gait was a bit smoother. I tried taking a spin outside on a set of stairs. Great! Step over step with no problem, just like when I was 25. Functionally, it's feeling much like the Venture foot did on Wednesday. It is snowing, but I've got this four-wheel-drive set of wheels, so I try out a steeper grassy incline. Wow! This is where the Echelon foot really shines! When I take a step down the hill, the foot plantar flexes along the incline taking all of the impact instead of my knee. It is awesome! I can descend the hill so easily. With my Seattle foot, descending hills is a painful chore and I try to avoid it whenever possible because my knee takes all of the impact and results in my hobbling about for the remainder of that day. With this Echelon foot on, I feel like taking a jog around the parking lot.

The top video shows me using the Venture foot on the hill.

The bottom video shows me using the Echelon foot on the same hill.

Back inside, we replace the Echelon foot with the Venture foot so I can make an apples-to-apples comparison on the same stairs and hill. With the Venture foot back on, one thing I notice is that on level surfaces this foot feels more natural - it does not have the extra roll that I noticed with the Echelon foot. On the stairs, the function is great and comparable to the Echelon. On the grassy incline, I do notice a bit more stress on my knee with the Venture foot than the Echelon foot. The hydraulics of the Echelon foot are outstanding on the incline surface. I also notice that I can balance on my right foot alone with the Echelon foot. That is a first. I've never been able to do that.

So, my assignment for the next two weeks is to take both of the feet home and test drive each of them. Then, I have to make a decision about which one I want to keep. I will have to weigh the pros and cons of each. This is what I have so far:

Venture Foot:
Pros:
-natural gait on level surfaces
-ease on stairs and inclines
-with shell on, the foot is narrower, allowing more shoes to fit :)
-height more accurate, allowing comfortable gait with all shoes
Cons:
-steeper inclines less comfortable

Echelon Foot:
Pros:
-ease on stairs and inclines
-outstanding on steeper inclines and uneven surfaces
Cons:
-extra "roll" in gait on level surfaces
-wider foot may not fit into my shoes
-extra height requires removal of inner shoe linings (ideal for athletic shoes)

So there you have it. I'll be trying these out and may have some more pros and cons to add to the list before my two weeks are up.