After losing leg, Louisville Metro Police Officer Returns to Duty with Computer-controlled C-Leg
A sworn police officer for less than five years, Kevin Trees experienced a highlight of his life when he was recognized as the Louisville Metro Police Department’s 2002 Officer of the Year. Just three weeks later, however, he found himself in the fight of his life after crashing his motorcycle and nearly dying at the scene from his critical injuries.
Kevin suffered several broken bones, including a severely injured right leg that required multiple surgeries over the next two and a half years in an attempt to save the limb. When 33 surgeries didn’t resolve the problems, it was decided number 34 would be an amputation. The final surgery took place in October 2005 and Kevin was fitted with Otto Bock HealthCare’s C-Leg, the world's first completely computer-controlled artificial leg.
A recognized standard of care for wounded military returning from overseas, the C-Leg is revolutionary technology using on-board sensors and microprocessors to anticipate and adapt to a person's movement 50 times per second. The C-Leg immediately adjusts to changes in walking speed and direction and provides crucial knee stability the moment it is needed. These features allow users to walk down stairs and ramps and maneuver rough terrain without the fear of falling.
One user even credits the C-Leg with saving his life as the new limb enabled him to quickly negotiate 70 flights of stairs and escape before the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11; another returned to flying for the air force as a Special Air Missions pilot at Andrews Air Force Base, making Department of Defense history as the first above-knee amputee to fly for the military.
And just five short months after receiving his C-Leg, Kevin returned to work in full capacity and is currently a pilot-in-training for his department’s air unit. But most important to this former Marine?
“I hope I’m a positive example of what’s possible following an amputation. I want others to know it isn’t the end of the road, and I’m proof it doesn’t have to mean the end of a career.”
Minnesota-based Otto Bock HealthCare LLP was established in 1958 as the Americas corporate headquarters of Otto Bock HealthCare, GmbH, based in Duderstadt, Germany. Otto Bock has more than 3,800 employees worldwide and produces over 25,000 types of prosthetic and orthotic components, mobility and rehabilitation products, and is the U.S. leader in delivering continuous passive motion (CPM) services and related therapies.
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