A Step Ahead: Prosthetic Limbs, Artificial Legs, Feet, Arms, Hands

That’s what you’ll have on your face when you learn about the future of prosthetics. The world’s first bionic knee – Ossur’s Power Knee – has arrived, and A Step Ahead is the first private facility in the United States to offer the device to you.

The first powered prosthesis for above-knee amputees, the Power Knee lifts you up stairs leg over leg, the only prosthetic technology capable of this feat. It provides you unparalleled stability by preventing unexpected buckling, while simultaneously replacing true muscle activity, as its motors powerfully bend and straighten the knee. And by giving you the ability to walk with better gait dynamics, you can cover greater distances with less effort.

The Power Knee achieves this revolutionary level of function through artificial intelligence, which gathers sensory information so that the device can anticipate exactly where the prosthesis should be in relation to the rest of your body. By measuring motion, load, and position of your sound limb at the rate of 1350 times per second, the Power Knee walks for you to produce a comfortable, anatomical walking pattern. To see the Power Knee in action, visit our Video Gallery at www.astepaheadonline.com.

But wait – there’s more. For all you below-knee amputees, there’s Ossur’s Proprio Foot – the world’s first intelligent foot module. According to Ossur, the Proprio thinks for itself, adapting to changing terrain and transforming the approach to stairs and slopes, as well as level-ground walking. Angling itself appropriately, it also helps amputees to sit and stand up easily and more naturally. Heel height can be changed easily with no impact on alignment of the prosthesis. Overall, the effect is a more balanced, symmetric and confident gait with reduced wear and tear on the back, hips and knees.

A Step Ahead is an official provider of Ossur’s Bionic Technology. For additional information about both the Power Knee and Proprio, visit Ossur’s website at http://bionics.ossur.com/.

2. Never Ending

This is an apt title for the string of successes enjoyed by our Team A Step Ahead members in the last 30 days. Four Team ASA’ers competed in (and completed) the New York City Triathlon on Sunday, July 16.

Leading the pack was new marathon-world-record-holder Amy Winters (BK), who not only won the Women’s Division (Physically Challenged), but came in second in the PC division overall. In the process, she broke yet another record, lowering the mark for an Olympic-distance triathlon by a female amputee by more than 25 minutes, finishing with a time of 2:25:24.

Tommy Koehler (BK) took fourth in the men’s division (2:35:00), breaking his personal best at this distance by 25 minutes, despite being hampered by injury problems during the race.

Kelly Bruno (BK) completed the race in a not-too-shabby 2:50:00, placing her second in the Women’s Division, and marking the second consecutive year that she has completed this race.

Sarah Reinertsen (AK) took first place in her division, finishing with a time of 4:07:35.

With their performances, Amy, Tommy and Kelly all qualified for the triathlon World Championships in Switzerland on September 2nd.

And although he tried to fly under our radar, our research uncovered a noteworthy accomplishment for another Team ASA member, Lee Carter (AK/BK). Lee, who only took up wheelchair tennis in 2004, received the 2005 Excellence Award for Most Improved Wheelchair Tennis Athlete from Tennis Canada. Lee surged up the ITF world rankings in 2005 from No. 277 to No. 59 in singles.

Team ASA members will be competing in a number of other noteworthy events in the coming months:

Jesse Karmazin (BK): U.S. Team four with coxswain, FISA World Rowing Championships, Eton England, August 20-27

Amy Winters (BK): Chicago Olympic Distance Triathlon, August 27

Allison Jones (AK): IPC Cycling World Championships, Aigle Switzerland, September 7-17

Lauren Peters (BK), Tommy Koehler (BK), Isaac Feliciano (BK), and Brian O’Sullivan (AK): Ocean to Sound Relay, Long Island New York, September 10

Amy Winters (BK): Chicago Marathon, October 22

Tommy Koehler (BK), Brian O’Sullivan (AK), and John Tartaglio (HD x 2, Handcycle): New York City Marathon, November 5

Sandy Dukat (AK), Ray Viscome (BK), Amy Winters (BK), Marcos Corti (BK) Michael Foresto (AE), and Kelly Bruno (BK): Challenged Athletes Foundation ½ Ironman, San Diego California, November 5.

We will keep you posted on Team ASA’s exploits in next month’s newsletter . . .

3. Fortunately, I . . .

. . . have additional news to report about Sarah Reinertsen. As if winning the female AK division of the New York City Tri wasn’t enough, this accomplishment probably ranked as only the second-most noteworthy thing she accomplished that week, as she also claimed her first ESPY award only a few days earlier, winning in the Best Female Athlete with a Disability category. The ESPY’s, which are the sports world’s equivalent of the Oscars, were hosted this year by Lance Armstrong, and featured luminaries from the sports and entertainment universe. Rumor has it that during a post-event soiree, Sarah dunked over LeBron James. That has not been confirmed, however.

And there’s even more Sarah for you all! Sarah’s lovely visage will be seen regularly on CBS television when the fall season kicks off, as she is participating in The Amazing Race 10, which will be on Sundays at 8 pm. Here are the teams with brief bios of each, courtesy of CBS. And no, I’m not making these up.

Team 1: A married couple from Florida. Husband “admits to being a bit overzealous”, while wife “takes great pride in her ability to reign in his emotions and focus his strengths.” [Emphasis added] Sounds like a recipe for a long-lasting marriage.

Team 2: Two “overachieving, super-competitive brothers”. Ummmm . . .ok.

Team 3: “[A] gay dating couple from New York.” Does the word “dating” have any meaning in this sentence? If two people are a couple, doesn’t that implicitly suggest that they’re dating? Just curious.

Team 4: Female “best friends” from South Carolina. But, CBS admonishes, “Don’t let their Southern drawls fool you. These former co-captains of the University of South Carolina cheerleading squad are highly competitive.” Imagine that – two young cheerleaders made the cast of the Amazing Race. Thank goodness that CBS has managed to champion their cause, because lord knows, this minority group (Southern Cheerleaders) gets so few opportunities to shine in 21st century America.

Team 5: A pair of Alabama mothers who are best friends who have never traveled outside the U.S. They hope their “resourcefulness and wit will make them the team to beat.” Dropping Alabamans into Mongolia should make for riveting TV. And does wit propel you around the world more quickly? I suspect not.

Team 6: A married couple from Kentucky who met while working at McDonald’s 10 years ago. I can’t. It’s too easy.

Team 7: Best friends from Cleveland who “have spent years bonding over their love of food, Browns football and their shared Islamic faith.” Now, I ask you: why is it that this team is the only one whose religion forms an integral part of their resume? And how much time do we think CBS spent deciding where exactly to drop this nugget? (“Well, if we say that they’re Islamic first, people won’t even give them a chance. They’re Browns fans? Great, put that down first. Everybody loves football. Oh. You’re right. Everyone but the female demographic 45 and up. What’s that you say? They like . . . EATING? Nothing’s more American than eating. Ok, here we go – they like to eat, they watch the NFL together, and oh by the way they just happen to be Islamic. That’s a wrap.”)

Team 8: This is Sarah’s team. So far as I can tell, this is the only team comprised of actual human beings.

Team 9: A dating couple whose “relationship has experienced some rocky moments, yet they recently decided to take a leap and move in together.” He’s a bartender. My advice is that he start drinking heavily. Now.

Team 10: Best friends and male models who met in rehab. They are “not your typical ‘pretty boys’; they’ve both had their share of hard knocks.” Oh. My. Goodness.

Team 11: You can’t make this stuff up – the reigning Ms. California and the reigning Ms. New York. Insert your own joke here. See also, commentary for Team 4, above.

Team 12: Father-daughter team who are “currently rebuilding their relationship and hope the Race will help them recapture the closeness they once shared.” The event that brought about the estrangement? The daughter’s declaration that she is gay.

Daughter: Dad, I’m gay.
Father: I never want to talk to you again.
Daughter and Father: (In unison) Let’s race around the world to try to win $1,000,000 – that’ll solve our relationship problems!

I so wish I could vote for the winner of this. I would cast 10 million ballots myself for Team Reinertsen.
Oh. I’m sorry. Am I still typing? Forget everything that preceded this. Good luck, Sarah!

4. Amsterdam

They have universal healthcare in Holland, home of Amsterdam. We, in the United States, do not. And as some of you may be aware, health insurance coverage in the U.S. ain’t what it used to be.

Over the past few years, insurers have increasingly promoted and sold “consumer-driven health plans”, which shift the financial burden of healthcare onto the consumer’s shoulders. At the same time, many plans have thrown increasingly restrictive language into their policies targeting prosthetics, limiting reimbursement to a fixed number of prosthetic devices per life, or a low dollar amount per year.

The Amputee Coalition of America’s APPLL (Action Plan for People with Limb Loss) attempts to stem this tide by requiring minimum levels of reimbursement for prosthetics in all group health insurance policies. Here in New York, and in numerous other states as well, the ACA has people on the ground working to pass this legislation.

The ACA needs your support in order to achieve this goal! Please contact the ACA at 888-AMP-KNOW today and volunteer to help all amputees by supporting this legislation in your home state.

5. Buy a Dog

They’re great pets. They love you unconditionally. And they can be taught cool tricks. On the downside, though, you need to board them when you leave home for an extended period of time, they shed, and the same tongue that licks your face in friendship . . . well . . . you know where we’re going with that.

Anyway, A Step Ahead is pleased to announce that you can view the “Live Life Without Limitations!” video on our website. You never have to put it in a kennel, it leaves no hair on your clothes or rug, and compared to a dog’s tongue, it’s germ-free.

The video gives you viewers a snapshot of our facility, our philosophy, and the amazing people – all of you out there – who make us what we are. Check it out in the Gallery section of our website. And keep looking at the Gallery in the future! We’re in the process of posting numerous photographs and adding new video elements to the website, all for your viewing pleasure.

6. Outside of it All

You want to be an outsider. Cool. Hip. Dangerous. Dare I say . . . extreme? To tap into this previously-untapped inner you, head off down to Orlando for the O&P Extremity Games. Sponsored by College Park Industries, the Extremity Games feature skateboarding, BMX biking, wall climbing, and wakeboarding. At T-minus 3 days – the games are from July 28-30 – time is running out for you to become part of Generation X(tremity). Fore more information visit http://www.extremitygames.com/index.htm.