A device developed to help U.S. soldiers with lower limb injuries regain their mobility is now helping civilians too -- albeit with a hefty price tag.
Called the , the patented device is essentially a custom-made carbon fibre brace that is designed to redirect weight and energy so people with lower limb conditions or injuries, such as partial foot amputations, can walk and run again with little or no pain.
鈥淪o it鈥檚 kind of in a sense like 鈥� a hybrid prosthesis. There鈥檚 not a missing limb per se, but there鈥檚 missing function and we鈥檙e replacing that function,鈥� Ryan Blanck, the device鈥檚 designer, told 麻豆传媒.
Blanck first designed the device for the U.S. military in 2009 and now serves as the ExoSym program director at the Hanger Clinic in Gig Harbor, Washington.
鈥淧eople go back to hiking mountains,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t opens up a lot of opportunities for them when you take away pain and instability and give them an artificial power that they鈥檝e lost.鈥�
Getting fit for the ExoSym at the private American orthotic and prosthetic clinic, however, costs roughly US$9,000 per device.
One of Blanck鈥檚 recent patients and customers is Barbara Haines of Fredericton, N.B. For years, Haines has been living with a foot deformity that has only been worsening over time.
鈥淏eing on my feet for even two minutes at a time, I鈥檓 in excruciating pain,鈥� Haines told 麻豆传媒 before receiving the device in May. 鈥淚 want to be able to stand without being in agony all the time. I want to be able to go out walking this summer.鈥�
While searching online for solutions, Haines discovered the ExoSym. Since the device is only available in the U.S., Haines travelled south of the border to get fit for a set.
鈥淎s soon as I put that on鈥� I knew right then that that device was going to be a life changer for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 like I can hardly wait to put them on in the morning.鈥�
The price for the pair, however, was nearly $24,000 -- and that figure does not even include necessary travel costs.
, a physiatrist who subspecializes in amputee rehabilitation at Toronto鈥檚 Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, says it is frustrating that travel requirements and the ExoSym鈥檚 price tag puts the device out of reach for many Canadians with lower limb injuries.
鈥淭his is a car on your leg, but it might allow you to run and do other activities that you did before, so it鈥檚 probably a worthwhile investment, but for a lot of patients it鈥檚 just not possible,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 know my patients know about it and I know they want it and I don鈥檛 have anything to offer them here.鈥�
Most provinces, she explained, only cover basic prostheses.
鈥淚 think it would be nice to have something like this in Canada, or at least more access to Canadians,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a needed device in our country.鈥�
If the company behind the ExoSym doesn鈥檛 bring down its prices, Mayo hopes Canadian companies will come up with a similarly-designed product.
鈥淚t鈥檚 probably something that we could work on more here in Canada, just improving our prosthetic and orthotic manufacturing techniques鈥� to see if we can make a more affordable and accessible option in Canada,鈥� she said.
Now able to walk and stand with significantly less pain, Haines says her quality of life has improved drastically since she received the ExoSym.
鈥淚 have been on the go ever since,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 actually have my life back.鈥�
And despite the financial hardship, she says the staggering cost was worth it.
鈥淚 can't put a price tag on my mobility,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 started a GoFundMe page, which I still have active. I went into my RRSPs and I used my credit card鈥� If I have to spend an extra couple of years working to compensate for my RRSPs we had to utilize, then that鈥檚 fine with me.鈥�
With files from CTV鈥檚 medical affairs specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip
