Helping amputees move with prosthetic devices rather than wheelchairs is a walk in the park for Del Lipe of Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics Inc.

Lipe's company, which makes prosthetics for injured military members and civilians in San Antonio, can aim just a little bit higher — outfitting the injured with legs and arms so they can hit the track, the bike and the rock-climbing wall.

Lipe, a licensed prosthetist, said the company even makes special limbs out of non-corrosive materials for amputees who enjoy water sports.

The options for hand attachments and leg prostheses are growing, but the process for building a device is about the same for all. Often Lipe will meet with a patient while they are healing to evaluate what he or she wants in a new limb.

Then, Lipe makes a model from a plaster cast or digital laser scan of the injured extremity. After modifying the design for fit and laminating the prosthetic, the piece is ready for components like a hand or a foot.

Then, says Lipe, comes the real test: how motivated the amputee is to use the prosthesis.

The prosthetic “is kind of like a car,” Lipe said. “You check their alignment ..... and then you let them fly, hope they fly, not just go plop down in their chair.”

Though prostheses costs may be covered by insurance, they don't come cheap. In fact, they can cost more than a new Hummer H2.

A body-powered arm, which operates via cables harnessed to the patient, costs about $10,000, Lipe said. But an electric arm, which operates with signals from the remaining muscles, can cost up to $90,000.

An above-the-knee prosthesis with a microprocessor-controlled knee can cost about $60,000. Those with a hydraulic knee would cost about $20,000. And each specialty lower prosthetic for running or swimming would cost an additional $20,000.

“You're going to be wearing your prosthesis; make it what you want it to be,” Lipe said.

Jennifer Lloyd | 210SA