LAS VEGAS – – During the Hanger Education Fair and National Meeting, a 63-year-old Air Force veteran and a 9-year-old girl were among the first amputees to try the ComfortFlex Adapt, an adjustable socket system from Hanger Clinic that allows patients to control the fit of their prosthetic socket.
Kevin Carroll, MS, CP, FAAOP, vice president of prosthetics at Hanger Clinic, met with Ken Muller, an avid outdoorsman who lost his left leg due to a motorcycle accident in 1974, and Lilly Biagnini, who had both legs amputated when she was 6 years old, at the company’s Las Vegas facility to oversee the fitting.
“There is a big push in the O&P field for adjustable technology,” Carroll said. “[This] particular system has silicon where when the silicon interfaces with the skin, it locks onto the skin, so it is not sliding or moving. [Also,] the patient can tighten the socket or loosen the socket.”
Muller said the new socket feels like a “second skin.”
“I can hardly wait for the next 356 days to see what is next,” he said. “So far, I have had it 10 days. I wish I would have had it for the last 7 years.”
Biagnini said the socket gave her more independence.
“I do not have to call my mom to fix my legs,” she said. “I can just [adjust them] quick. I can release them and tighten them again.”
