Hello, everyone! My name is Drew. I was living in Mansfield, MO, and had an elective BKA amputation surgery due to a terrible motorcycle accident in 1999. The doctors in Missouri referred me to Hanger Clinic in Springfield MO, to be fitted with my prosthesis. They made me a check socket with a lanyard suspension, and when I finally got delivery of the prosthesis, I had a very hard time walking, putting it on and off, and I had a tremendous amount of pain, and I felt like I was going to fall.
Here’s a little bit about me: I’m a 54-year-old man, 6 foot 6 and 310lbs. My calf muscles are much larger than my knee, so that would be an issue as my residual limb transformed. Let me skip ahead a little — I was doing my best with the prosthesis, but I always felt something wasn’t right.
I recently relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and I found South Beach O&P by accident when I limped my way into the Davie, FL location. I was met by Mark, the owner. He shook my hand, looked at my leg, and said, “why are you in that setup?” I said, “I don’t know; this is what Hanger Clinic gave me,” and he said, “Sit down and take that leg off.”
Mark then made a 3D image of my residual limb, explaining everything to me, and within 45 minutes, I had a check socket made for me, and I was WALKING!!! I kept saying, “Hang on, let me get you my insurance info,” and he said to me, “I don’t care about that; right now, what is most important is that you are not in pain, and you feel comfortable walking.” He kept saying to me: “I don’t want you in pain,” and then he brought out the check socket, which was a pin configuration. He said a lanyard suspension that Hanger Clinic made for me is used mainly for an above-the-knee amputee and that I was in the wrong setup.
Mark put a new liner on my leg, we put the new prosthesis on, and I was walking pain-free almost immediately — then he took me and my girlfriend on a tour of the facility, showing me the state-of-the-art 3D printing they use. Then they hugged us and said, “Welcome to the family!”
I got to tell you the follow-up and communication that I have experienced in just a few weeks from this man and his staff are unprecedented — what a wonderful experience! I’m waiting for the delivery of the leg on the first of September. I would recommend South Beach O&P to my family and friends if they need that type of service! I am so grateful that I found them, and I’m able to walk pain-free, and their customer service (like I said) is amazing and personable! I feel very safe and comfortable knowing they are the new prosthesis company for me! I’m looking forward to what the future holds for me with South Beach O&P!
Thank you, Mark, Thomas, Allen, and all your staff !!!!!!
South Beach Prosthetics stands with you every step of the way. Wherever you are in your prosthetic journey, you can count on our support & expertise to get where you need to be. Get in touch with us today at (888) 819-4721 to learn more about how we can help. Join us! Find our Facebook community here.