PROVO — A new device called the FlexLeg is showing lots of promise, especially for the way it gives people with lower leg injuries use of their hands while they heal.
Rebecca Snow is an active mother who loves to jog. About two months ago, Snow found herself struggling to keep up with her lifestyle after she took a fall on the ice during a morning run.
She broke multiple bones in her leg and ankle. Doctors performed a three-hour surgery and ordered her on bed rest for six weeks.
"I'm a mother," Snow said. "That's what I'm doing right now full time, so it was hard to remove myself from what was a really active life."
While recovering, her husband contacted the makers of the FlexLeg and offered his wife as a test case. She said the device has really helped her get back to being a mom.
"I can walk around," Snow said. "I can go on walks with my children. I can do basic household duties. I can live, I think, the most normally, given what happened. It gives me a normal life."
The device is easy to put on. Once the height is adjusted, the user puts their knee on the pad and tightens two straps in the thigh area. The third strap holds the lower part of the leg in position. The FlexLeg replaces that lower leg injury so the wearer can walk easily.
"The biggest thing it's done for me is allowed me to use my hands," Snow said.
With the FlexLeg, she can easily get around the house. She can go up and down the stairs and can even hold her son with one arm while pouring him a glass of milk with the other.
Michael Sanders, who created the device, said it all started when he saw a picture at school of a single amputee running.
"The thought kind of struck me," Sanders said. "Look how far they've come in prosthetics. Here's a person running. I just thought how cool that was. … Why are we still using crutches for temporary injuries, or scooters, when there are people who are able to run?"
It took two years and nine or 10 prototypes before the final FlexLeg was finished.
The device is made from aerospace-grade aluminum and weighs a little more than 6 pounds. The specially designed foot is made from composites that provide shock absorption and spring to each step. It costs $1,299 or can be rented for about $75 a week.
Sanders said the goal was to get people walking again as soon as possible.
"Our idea is you get hurt on Monday and you're walking on Tuesday. That's the dream," he said. "We think we've gotten quite close with this."
Contributing: Viviane Vo-Duc