Perfecting Prosthetics

This health video looks into the best prosthetics that are available to help you.

Jennifer Matthews: After twenty years of making prosthetic legs, Wayne Sprouse knew traditional hand-casting had to go. Wayne Sprouse: Everybody has different tension on the plaster bandage, and they do things differently. That Meant Poor Fits Among Other Problems. Wayne Sprouse: We're finding out that the prosthesis may hinder circulation to a certain extent. Jennifer Matthews: So Wayne found a better way with alginate gel. Wayne Sprouse: It firms up sort of like jell-o, and then we have him remove his leg. That gives us a perfect impression of his residual limb. Jennifer Matthews: From there, a mold the exact shape of the limb is made and the socket is formed. Dan Bellm: It's almost like putting on a brand new pair of shoes and they were custom made. Jennifer Matthews: In addition to the better fit, these images suggest it may also eliminate the limp that goes with most prosthetic legs. Dr. Jack Engsberg: By having this limp all the time, you're getting higher loading on the non-prosthetic side, the good leg, and you may be more susceptible to degenerative joint disease. Jennifer Matthews: All this ultimately helps amputees live a more active life. For Dan Bellm, who lost his leg from a circulatory disease, it's meant no forced time outs from life. Dan Bellm: I play soccer with my son, I bowl, I shoot skeet, on top of that I work an eight-hour day. Jennifer Matthews: A goal in this dad's book. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.