Disabled Athlete Needing Help

http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/./1/.1109657423235.Hiking1.jpg

Hi, guys! First off let me say GREAT SITE! Loads of info! I have some problems with leg excercises tho.

Let me give you the background on that first. I fell while rock climbing and had my left leg amputated below the knee on 6/6/03. I have a prosthesis and walk great! I now play on the St. Louis Paralympic Hockey Team. Mainly Center and Wing, tho I’ve also started training as a Goalie. I also still rock climb! Yes I reclimbed the cliff I fell off of! I wasn’t about to let that cliff win!

The main problem is doing leg workouts. Doing squats, lunges, or leg presses I can’t bend my left leg enough due to my prosthesis. Leg lifts on a machine makes my prosthesis try to come off! That would be freaky to some people in the gym! LOL

So I was hoping someone could help me out with this. Due to these probs my left thigh is ALOT smaller than my right one! Can anyone help me out with a workout that would get my left leg up to the same size as my right one? Now the next time I get a new prosthesis I’ll make sure it won’t cause this problem, but that could be a long time from now! All my prosthetist has to do is not make the back of the socket (the bucket part that my stump goes into) not as high in the back. Right now I can only bend my knee about 60 degrees due to the prosthesis being in the way.

Any help would be great!

I attached a photo of me out hiking the day after I got my first prosthesis. I’m not about to let a little titanium and carbon fiber get in my way!

Wow, great attitude.

It is hard to tell from the picture, but is your amputation above or below the knee?

If you are able to build your quadricep larger, won’t this interfere with the fitting of your prothesis?

Are you currently able to do deadlifts and such for your postieor chain? This will help with strength, without increasing leg size much initally.

See if you can get in touch with any existing athlete with the same type of amputation. If you need to, contact the paralympic association.

I used to be taught by a chap invoved heavily with UK paralympics. I am sure someone eill help.

PM me, and i will see if he is around still. He may know a man who knows a dog, as it were.

I’m not really sure, but if i remember correctly Ian King’s Bring the Pain had a lot of 1 legged variations for his leg exercises.

1 legged squats, wall sits, the whole nine yards. Very painful, and very much essential if you want to get strong and stabile.

Get a better prosthesis. I’m not being a wise ass here. I remember seeing some guys on TV doing all kinds of squats and leg presses with those things. Probably a bit pricey, but maybe worth it.

And stop using chew, unless you want your lip amputated too.

“It is hard to tell from the picture, but is your amputation above or below the knee?”

It’s below the knee. 6 3/8 inches below the knee to be exact.

“If you are able to build your quadricep larger, won’t this interfere with the fitting of your prothesis?”

It would a little. The prosthesis only comes up to the side of the knee, but side of the knee will grow too. The sides of the prosthesis can be “pulled” out by the prosthetist as needed tho.

“If you need to, contact the paralympic association.”

I’m already a member! I fired off a question to them but haven’t heard back. Grrr

“Get a better prosthesis. I’m not being a wise ass here.”

I’m doing that on the next leg I get! I’m just hoping I don’t have to wait that long before seeing results.

“And stop using chew, unless you want your lip amputated too.”

Already quit! And to make sure I don’t ever start again I got my lip pierced with a labret piercing. Can’t dip with a hole in your lip! LOL

is there a university with a disabled athlete there. get on his/her coat tails. The uk paralympics is the one thing that is actually strong in british sport.

If you have no joy there, look here and see if there is a contact.

bit of an old one, but it is network network network, i’m afraid.

chase the bastards down. give em hell!!! e mail, fax, phone, and do it again until someone responds. charity type orgs do have a lot of lazy gets in them.

good luck, let us know how you get on.

Truthfully, it may be hard to build much quadricep size without leg flexion at the knee.

Would it be possible to have just a new cup made for the existing leg, or is this the costly part due to fitting?

A new socket costs about $3,000. The total cost of my current prosthesis is $16,000! Yeppers they are expensive!

I won’t be able to get a new one for another year or two. Unless something happens and I have to have surgery on it again then insurance would pay for a new one.