Unlike traditional prosthetic devices, the emPOWER Ankle restores lost muscle power and ankle-foot movement, enabling lower limb amputees to have a greater quality of life by providing:
- Increased energy and less fatigue to walk farther and faster1,2,3,4
- Normalized gait to reduce joint forces, pain and the potential for osteoarthritis1,3
- Real-time ankle control for improved safety and stability across any surface
emPOWER Patient Profile
The emPOWER Ankle is for people with above or below the knee amputations who are low to moderately active and want to maintain an active lifestyle.
| Amputation Level |
|
| Functional Level | K3, K4 (Low to moderate impact; Ability to walk at variable speeds) |
| Maximum Weight | 287 lbs (130 kg) |
| Foot Sizes | 25-30 cm |
| Minimum Clearance | 8 3/4’ (22.2 cm) |
INSURANCE COVERAGE
The emPOWER Ankle is covered by a number of providers, including Workers’ Compensation, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and Non-Profit Funding for veterans who do not have the VA benefit. Private insurers who have provided reimbursement for their enrollees - on a case-by-case basis - include Aetna, various Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurers, Empire State, Humana, United Healthcare and Tricare.
DEVELOPMENT & ADOPTION WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENTS OF DEFENSE AND VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Defense helped fund and conduct clinical research on the early emPOWER Ankle designs. Initial published research on the emPOWER Ankle was conducted and published by researchers at the VA Center of Restorative and Regenerative Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston, MA, and the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, Texas.
U.S. veterans have served as the most prolific users of the technology, while also providing us with consistent feedback and suggestions. The U.S. war fighter’s commitment to bionic technology has helped provide a more natural gait and normalized function to so many civilian individuals with lower-extremity amputation.
Clinical References:
- Herr, A. Grabowski, ‘Bionic ankle–foot prosthesis normalizes walking gait for persons with leg amputation’, Proc Biol Sci. Vol. 7; 279(1728): 457–464. 2012.
- Grabowski, S. D’Andrea. ‘Effects of a powered ankle-foot prosthesis on kinetic loading of the unaffected leg during level-ground walking,’ Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation, 10(49), 2013.
- Esposito, et al., ‘Step-to-step transition work during level and inclined walking using passive and powered ankle–foot prostheses’, Prosthet Orthot Int., 2015.
- Data on file from the emPOWER Ankle validation testing.
A list of peer-reviewed publications citing the functional improvement of the BionX’s prostheses technology versus conventional prosthetic technology can be found here
