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Cycling Prosthesis

Prior to your amputation you might have used a bicycle to commute or been a keen road or mountain biker. You may now have aspirations to take part in the beautiful Cape Town Cycle Tour, tackle the mountain trails, take a leisurely ride on the promenade or your local streets or would like to commute to work or gym again 

The good news is that this may all be possible on either your day to day or specialised lower limb prosthesis, whether its road, mountain, or stationary cycling. For upper limb amputees, we can help you get back on your bike too. 

Upper Limb

A specialised prosthesis may be required for you to pursue this activity once again. Yes, you can cycle with just one arm, however experience and feedback from our patients has taught us that having the second point of contact on your handlebars allows you to be much more in balance and control. The ARM-XR is one of the heavy-duty above elbow prosthetic elbow joints available for both mountain biking and motocross. Lighter alternatives are also available as well as terminal devices (hand or grip units) such as the Criterium or Mountain Master. 

Contact us to assist you with information and guidance on both upper and lower limb prosthetic solutions. 

Lower Limb

As a below knee amputee you may require a much lower posterior (back) wall on your cycling socket to allow the knee to bend past 90 degrees to reduce discomfort at the back your knee. On your day to day prosthesis, this wall is kept at a certain height to prevent movement of your residual limb within the socket. 

As an above knee or through knee amputee, you will require a knee that either has a cycling mode or allows for a free-swinging knee joint. There are some limitations with standard knees in these modes though, you won’t be able to stand and extend your knee to pedal and you will be heavily reliant on your sound leg to provide power to the drivetrain. There are however solutions to these issues. The CrossOver Extensible Knee, touted as the World’s First Extensible Knee, has a unit for shock absorption like what you would have on the rear suspension of your mountain bike. It has “tendons” that assist in extension of the knee allowing you to power through the leg to the drivetrainThrough Knee and Above Knee amputees may require some initial training in their pursuit of cycling. 

As an above knee amputee, you might also have issues with your sockets on the bicycle seat.  Modifications to the socket design or socket seat may be required for a more comfortable ride. Please speak to your prosthetist about these issues. 

Contact us to see how we can help