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October 01. 2012 11:16PM
Connie Nason, 49, of Portsmouth, loves the freedom provided by her Elan foot by Endolite, which inspired her to celebrate with a tie-dye design. Not only has she given up a cane after needing one for 15 years, but she can climb grassy slopes with her cat, Cierra, and outwalk her husband. (JOHN QUINN PHOTO)
Endolite's Elan foot weighs less than three pounds, but the microprocessor and gyroscope allow the prosthetic to mimic the motions of a real limb. (COURTESY)
Portsmouth woman back in step thanks to her new bionic foot
Connie Nason, 49, of Portsmouth, loves the freedom provided by her Elan foot by Endolite, which inspired her to celebrate with a tie-dye design. Not only has she given up a cane after needing one for 15 years, but she can climb grassy slopes with her cat, Cierra, and outwalk her husband. (JOHN QUINN PHOTO)
Endolite's Elan foot weighs less than three pounds, but the microprocessor and gyroscope allow the prosthetic to mimic the motions of a real limb. (COURTESY)
@Byline Wide:By JOHN QUINN | Union Leader Correspondent
SOMERSWORTH
A Portsmouth woman who received the state's first prosthetic bionic foot this summer said she feels like the Bionic Woman.
While she can't outrun a car like the 1970s TV character, Connie Hayes Nason, 49, has put away her cane — which she's relied upon for the past 15 years — thanks to her new Elan foot by Endolite.
Nason has required a prosthetic to walk since she lost her lower right leg to complications from Berger's disease.
“It gives me more confidence,” Nason said, adding she's able to move around and take her fluffy-tailed cat, Cierra, for a walk around the yard and up and down grassy slopes.
Paul Jenkins, a certified prosthetist at Hanger Clinic in Somersworth, said the Elan foot — a hydraulically controlled device which contains a microprocessor and a gyroscope — mimics the motion of a natural foot.
“The foot knows when it's going up or down,” Jenkins said, adding the microprocessor-controlled technology allows the foot to adjust while walking; it uses a brake for declines.
Jenkins said the Elan weighs less than three pounds and costs $15,000 to $20,000.
Nason, who received the foot in June, remains in awe about how much better she can walk.
“I can do it now because I can go heel to toe like you guys,” Nason said, adding her previous prosthetic foot was stiff and always forced her to limp.
Her husband, Charlie, is impressed at how far prosthetics have advanced since the couple first met 15 years ago.
“She actually walks faster than me now,” he said.
Nonetheless, Nason said she can walk only limited distances due to poor blood flow in her left leg because of the disorder she's lived with her entire life. She said gene therapy increased the blood flow from 19 to 49 percent; 15 percent was added through medication. Her left foot now heals much faster and the “24-7” pain is gone.
“I feel a whole lot better,” Nason said.
Jenkins said the Elan is not for everyone, as prosthetics are selected based on a person's foot size, activity level and weight. He recalled having to find a more durable foot for a large man who worked as a stonemason.
“That's actually part of my job — to match the foot with the person,” Jenkins said.
jquinn@newstote.com
SOMERSWORTH
A Portsmouth woman who received the state's first prosthetic bionic foot this summer said she feels like the Bionic Woman.
While she can't outrun a car like the 1970s TV character, Connie Hayes Nason, 49, has put away her cane — which she's relied upon for the past 15 years — thanks to her new Elan foot by Endolite.
Nason has required a prosthetic to walk since she lost her lower right leg to complications from Berger's disease.
“It gives me more confidence,” Nason said, adding she's able to move around and take her fluffy-tailed cat, Cierra, for a walk around the yard and up and down grassy slopes.
Paul Jenkins, a certified prosthetist at Hanger Clinic in Somersworth, said the Elan foot — a hydraulically controlled device which contains a microprocessor and a gyroscope — mimics the motion of a natural foot.
“The foot knows when it's going up or down,” Jenkins said, adding the microprocessor-controlled technology allows the foot to adjust while walking; it uses a brake for declines.
Jenkins said the Elan weighs less than three pounds and costs $15,000 to $20,000.
Nason, who received the foot in June, remains in awe about how much better she can walk.
“I can do it now because I can go heel to toe like you guys,” Nason said, adding her previous prosthetic foot was stiff and always forced her to limp.
Her husband, Charlie, is impressed at how far prosthetics have advanced since the couple first met 15 years ago.
“She actually walks faster than me now,” he said.
Nonetheless, Nason said she can walk only limited distances due to poor blood flow in her left leg because of the disorder she's lived with her entire life. She said gene therapy increased the blood flow from 19 to 49 percent; 15 percent was added through medication. Her left foot now heals much faster and the “24-7” pain is gone.
“I feel a whole lot better,” Nason said.
Jenkins said the Elan is not for everyone, as prosthetics are selected based on a person's foot size, activity level and weight. He recalled having to find a more durable foot for a large man who worked as a stonemason.
“That's actually part of my job — to match the foot with the person,” Jenkins said.
jquinn@newstote.com
