Gordon Richard's PASO Knee & Pro-Flex Story

About 6 months ago I changed over from a hydraulic knee unit to the PASO Knee, as I was not benefiting from the hydraulic yield and was looking for something lighter.

The auto-adaptive pneumatics which allow for variable speed of the knee is awesome. The PASO Knee maintains the same speed as my natural leg no matter how fast or slow I am walking. This removes the stress of having a prosthetic knee that either won’t keep up with me or has too much terminal impact which is uncomfortable for my hip.

The PASO Knee has a really great action and is probably the closest to a natural knee that I have had the benefit of wearing. It also has the advantage of being lighter than other knees I have had.

I use the PASO Knee in conjunction with the Pro-Flex Foot, and the combination of the two is fantastic as they complement one another extremely well. My ability to walk up and down slopes is so much easier as well as walking on uneven ground, I feel more confident and stable. The Pro-Flex encourages the extended use of the gluteal muscles and allows for a more natural stride, with the PASO Knee responding appropriately.

I now go for longer walks without any chaffing in my prosthesis as the foot and knee are taking stress away from the socket. When using the Pro-Flex XC Torsion and PASO Knee I can also run with absolute ease, without having to disengage the hydraulic cylinder in the knee which is what I had to do previously. This is important to me as running is something I really enjoy.

I have a through knee amputation so my prosthetic socket is long, and due to the polycentric geometry of the knee and the short build height I find the PASO Knee folds away really well, making sitting on the bus and fitting into an aircraft seat a lot easier than before.

It also has a great range of knee flexion which helps me when cycling and using the Ergometer in the gym.

My wife who has known me since I lost my leg, says that she has never seen me walk as well and friends and clients are amazed when I let them know that I have a prosthetic leg as the action is so natural. I now look forward to walking, no matter how far or how technical the walk is.