Amputee Benefits
Built for Walking
Unlike the bouncy, carbon-fiber leaf springs that are currently popular among foot manufacturers, Tensegrity’s foot designs bend like a healthy, live foot and ankle as you walk—that’s the distinction. Carbon-fiber feet are great for running, but Tensegrity carries you through even the most challenging terrain of everyday life, from icy slopes to steep hiking trails.
Stability is crucial to confident walking. Just like a natural foot and ankle, Tensegrity designs let you feel connected and be connected to the terrain underfoot. That’s because a Tensegrity foot’s human-like joints can absorb the slopes and obstacles in your path without throwing you off balance or creating socket pressures. That’s a big deal. Feeling steady and sure of yourself takes a lot of the stress out of getting around.
Unlike carbon-fiber feet, which bend too far in some places and not enough in others, a Tensegrity foot bends only as far as your body’s natural range of motion would allow. That means Tensegrity provides flexibility and solid support.
When most prosthetic feet reach the end of their range of motion, they tend to push you in an unexpected direction. Tensegrity feet, even at the end of a step, smoothly adapt to slopes—either up and down or side to side—because excess energy doesn’t build up in the feet. For example, they smooth out a grassy surface nicely and don’t push you off balance if you step on a pebble.
“Comfortable to wear” is how amputees describe walking with a Tensegrity foot. This is because the mid-foot joint in this foot bends easily, but stays in control, just like a healthy human foot. It allows for normal forward progress when walking. With other feet, many amputees feel like they’re “always walking uphill.” With a Tensegrity foot, even steep slopes feel like walking on flat ground.
Tensegrity feet can provide:
- More agility
- Better stability
- Natural energy return (Ahhh… more energy to get through your day)
- Lower risk of back pain and related biomechanical problems