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Kaiser Amputee Clinic

During our trip to San Diego, we visited with Dr. Michael Jaffe from Kaiser Permanente. He invited us to an amputee clinic, where he and four prosthetists offered consultation to a variety of patients. In the clinic were a number of amputees, new and old, who shared their experience and received expert advice. The group spent ten minutes with each patient, leaving them with a clear direction for next steps in care. LIM Innovations was fortunate to sit in on the event, learn from a group of clinicians, and share the Infinite Socket with interested amputees.

Dr. Jaffe was happy to involve us, and submitted a short note about the clinic:

My buddy Bruce Bekkar, MD, gave me the email of a guy named Andre whom he had met at a TED talk.  Andre is working for a startup company who manufactures prosthetic limbs for above-the-knee amputees (AK).  I invited Andre to come to my monthly Amputee Clinic. It turned out to be quite the fortuitous encounter.

Our first patient was a 22 year old man who lost his left leg above the knee four weeks ago in a motor vehicle accident.  He came into our clinic clearly distraught, scared, and I could sense a feeling of hopelessness, and his parents even more so.

I asked the patient to wait until the end of the clinic to watch a demonstration put on by Andre’s team, Lim Innovations.  As the patient rolled back into the clinic an hour and a half later he was met by two Infinite Socket users, both in their 20s and both AK amputees, with the latest in Stance-phase control (electronic) prosthetics with the new Lim suspension socket-the innovative design of which I had never seen before. These guys where fit and happy, one of them is a professional model and the other is training for the Paralympics.

You could see the vail of confusion and sadness lift as the 22 year old amputee sat in a circle along with me and six prosthetists all asking clinical questions of LIM CEO.  The patient even joined in with his own clinically relevant questions.

At the end of the presentation the new amputee announced he wanted to be a Beta tester for the new socket.  When the clinic was over the new amputee shook my hand, looking me in the eye and stated, “I am very excited, and when can I get started?”

Mike Jaffe, D.O.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Kaiser San Diego

3 thoughts on “Kaiser Amputee Clinic”

  1. a friend told me about a new ratcheting adjustable above knee socket. I am very interested in this new design. please give me any information you have on this socket

  2. I watched a piece on the Lim proshetic for above knee amputees on our local ABC news. To hear about it and see Rahjeek walking on it really peeked my interest in this socket. I am 73 years young and can’t wear my socket all day without losing suction. I am AKA. Am I too old to be interested in one of your sockets and legs. The socket I have makes my stump sore. What are your thoughts on me. I look forward to your opinion.
    Al Newitt

  3. Just a suggestion but how about an opiotn when people check out online, to purchase a Valor sock, to be donated/given to a Wounded Warrior? UnderArmour has a similar program in you purchase’ a WWP backpack full of goodies and it goes directly to the recipient.

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