Ken Romp

Ken Romp underwent an  amputation of the right leg above the knee in March 2008. Ken was an active man, a supervisor in a print factory, a keen DIY home and yard enthusiast. Ken is the type of guy that never backs down from a challenge. He also has a keen fascination with mechanics and how things work.

So with the challenge of his life facing him, Ken took it head on. He was fit with an Immediate Post-Operative Prosthesis. Within two weeks of surgery, a knee and foot were attached to begin early walking in physical therapy. As was to become the norm in Ken’s rehabilitation, he surpassed expectations. There were some minor set backs, but Ken kept pushing himself forward.

Seven weeks after surgery, Ken was fit with his first prosthesis. This was a basic weight activated locking knee and a dynamic ankle and foot. Ken did very well, in fact, within one week Ken had progressed to using a single crutch.

A week after that, Ken was using just a single cane. However a fall shortly after, was a minor set back. Although it slowed Ken temporarily, it was not enough to stop his return to work by mid-May.

By mid-June Ken was walking without a cane and he was back to work and fully active. In fact, a little too active by one account. During the night shift which Ken works, a silo on top of the building had a problem. So Ken being Ken, took it upon himself to solve the problem. This is a typical Ken response. However this time it was quite something. Ken climbed to the roof of the building, up the ladder attached to the silo, where he proceeded to fix the problem and climb back down in the dark night.

Needless to say, his employers, family and ourselves questioned his sanity! But Ken’s response was a simple “It needed fixing. So I fixed it. What else would I do?” This is typical of Ken’s can do attitude.

He soon became too active for the prosthetic knee that he was using. AIM then set Ken up to receive one of the first of a new generation of microprocessor controlled knees. The Adaptive 2, from Endolite, is a self learning computer knee, which after initial programming allows the user to activate self learning sessions.

The knee detects where the patient is in the gait cycle, as well as the terrain. So it can automatically adjust its support or resistance to adapt to various activities. It changes for different walking speeds, adapts for ramps, stairs and slopes.

Naturally Ken took to this like a duck to water. He is also participating in a clinical trial for a new prototype foot for Endolite. With the new knee Ken is pushing the boundaries of activity level further all the time. His goal is to walk step over step down stairs without holding on to the handrail. He is already on his way and can use steps with the aid of just a handrail.

Ken is continuing to push himself to improve his activity levels and gait patterns. He is always a willing participant in trials for new products and ideas. We have certainly enjoyed the challenges of keeping up with Ken!

Call for Letters

Some of you may of have heard of insurance plans capping prosthetic coverage. Capping coverage is when an insurance company sets a maximum amount for prosthetic services. This amount is usually far less than the device’s value, leaving the patient to pay the high remaining balance.

Tom Walsh has been working with fellow prosthetic professionals to secure legislation in the Ohio congress to ensure all insured patients are covered under the same rules as Medicare. This is referred to as prosthetic parity.

The working group have secured the services of several lobbyists and are preparing bills to go before the legislature. Representative Nancy Garland has been reading the bill and supporting documentation.

To support this effort we need patients who have been victims of the capitation of prosthetic coverage to write testimonial letters to their representatives in the Ohio congress.

We can help with identifying your representative and with drafting the content of the letter.

If you would like to help support this effort, please contact us and we will assist you.