Prosthesis for Calcaneous Bone

[Wayne Renardson]

One day Mihai asked:

M> Does anybody know if there is a prosthesis for the calcaneus 
[heel] bone? This is a last chance to save the lower leg from 
amputation, so the message is kind of a desperate one!  

<http://www.rslsteeper.com/NetsiteCMS.php?pageid=369>

<http://findlaw.doereport.com/generateexhibit.php?ID=116>

<http://www.lerner.ccf.org/bme/davis/index.php>

The above page with Dr. Brian Davis contains:

New prosthetics technology for amputee patients

In the last decade there has been a trend for above-knee (AK) 
prosthetic designs to become more sophisticated. Generally, there are 
trade-offs between performance, cost, complexity, and weight. To 
date, no lightweight design has yet met all of the desired features 
of (i) stability during load bearing, (ii) controlled motion during 
the swing phase of gait, (iii) rapid changes in level of resistance 
as one moves from one phase of gait to another, and (iv) variable 
response of the system depending on the patient's cadence and/or 
walking speed.These limitations could possibly be addressed using 
hydraulic technology. Presently a joint research venture between the 
CCF and industry is aimed at designing an AK device that improves the 
ambulatory capabilities of amputee patients.  

These limitations could possibly be addressed using hydraulic 
technology. Presently a joint research venture between the CCF and 
industry is aimed at designing an AK device that improves the 
ambulatory capabilities of amputee patients.  

Mechanism of calcaneal fractures

Calcaneal fractures in the industrial patient are a common 
occurrence. Likewise, in military recruits, it has been reported that 
84% (male) and 93% (female) of foot injuries following a drop landing 
have involved fractures of the hindfoot. In addition, during frontal 
motor vehicle crashes, calcaneal fractures may result from a 
superposition of the forces generated by the Achilles tendon 
attempting to plantarflex the foot and the floor pan or brake pedal 
dorsiflexing the ankle and then impacting the hindfoot. Seventy-five 
percent of these fractures are intra-articular. The purpose of the 
study is to resolve two schools of thought regarding the mechanism of 
intra-articular fractures. One involves vertical loading of the 
calcaneus by the talus at the "Gissane Angle," and the other involves 
eccentric loading of the talus on the calcaneus, with the 
sustentaculum tali being loaded as a cantilever.  

<http://www.rslsteeper.co.uk/NetsiteCMS.php?pageid=1>

Go here and search for calcaneous 

There is a wealth of information available. Try a search on 
calcaneous prosthetics. 


Wayne Renardson