Lily's New Knee: Take 1

A couple of months ago Lily's prosthetist, Mr. Don, requested that we see her orthopedist again with the hopes that he would give the OK to adding a knee to Lily's prosthesis.


Her orthopedist had been pretty set on not putting a knee in Lily's leg until she was walking independently.  And she wasn't then...and isn't now.  


But because Mr. Don had high hopes based on what he was seeing of Lily's walking with her walker, we went to see the orthopedist.


We made sure we brought her walker in case Lily felt brave enough to show off.  And show off she did!  He was so impressed with her walker-walking, that he okayed a knee!


So a few weeks later we returned to Mr. Don to have her new knee put in.


As it had been explained to us, there were 2 types of knees available to someone so little.  One knee that could be unlocked to bend for cosmetic purposes only (like sitting, so the leg doesn't stick straight out) but would then lock as soon as it went straight.  Or a knee that never locked straight.  


At this stage in the game, I could care less about a cosmetic prosthetic for her (2 year olds really don't care what their peers think!).  And the fact that it would lock as soon as it went straight and have to be manually unlocked (by me!) in order to bend again sounded pointless.  Mr. Don was in total agreement.


So that left the knee that bent freely, but could not be locked straight if desired (remember a straight let is what she's used to).  That's what was ordered.  That's what was put in.

Lily posing with the bendy knee

Within about, oh, a minute of putting the prosthetic with the bendy knee on Lily, I had a sinking feeling. It was obvious she didn't trust it at all.  She discovered it gave out when she put weight on it and once she learned that...she wouldn't put any weight on it at all.  Instead, she used her "leg-not-on technique"...hopping.


No worries...the Physical Therapist can show me how to teach Lily to do this.  Right?

Looks like her prosthetic foot might need to be replaced soon, too...looking a
 little smaller than her other foot!

By the next day, I was on the phone with our sweet PT begging her to come ASAP and tell me what she thought.  All the work we'd done, progress Lily had made...had instantly vanished.  Lily would not put any weight on her prosthesis.  I needed her professional opinion...was I unduly concerned or was I assessing things accurately?


She came, she saw, and within 2 minutes wanted to know how quickly I could get back to Mr. Don and have the old leg put back on.  


Lily just wasn't ready yet.


Mr. Don however had another trick up his sleeve...Lily's knee: Take 2.


In Him,