POA Patient Profile: High Level AK Amputee Biker Luc Charlesbois of Ontario, Canada

Luc rode his Harley from Canada to Florida to try POA's elevated vacuum socket suspension system (NPS socket). He had tried numerous types of suspension since August 2005, when he lost his leg above the knee in a motorcycle accident. The amputation left him with a very short residual limb, with extreme scarring and multiple invaginations. The socket designs Luc tried caused skin breakdown and/or simply would fall off--something that was unacceptable to this 49-year-old biker who wanted to get back on his Harley and ride!

When Luc arrived at POA he was wearing a custom urethane liner which extended around his hips to form a belt suspension. We fit him with a custom silicone liner and a double wall NPS above knee socket system. One week later, Luc began his ride back to Canada, free of suspension belts and confident his leg would stay on.

Luc, with the help of a friend who works at his local Harley shop, put together an adaptive wheeled hydraulic system to help support the heavy bike when necessary. As you'll see in the video, when he is ready to take off, Luc just flips a switch and the wheeled support rises up, much like the wheels on an airplane.

To read more about POA, our socket systems and patients, check out our web site at www.poacfl.com or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prosth...