Sask. amputee promotes unique procedure after it allows him to walk without pain
A Saskatchewan man is promoting a rare medical procedure that allows him to walk without pain, despite his below the knee amputation.
Osseointegration is a procedure where a titanium rod is anchored into the bone of the amputated limb as an extension of that limb, negating the need for a socket prosthetic.
“It just gives you your quality of life back,” said Ron Patterson, a below the right knee amputee.
Ron broke his ankle while climbing out of a piece of equipment in 1978. Due to improper medical treatment, he developed Gangrene and his right leg below the knee had to be amputated.
He lived with a regular socket prosthetic for over 30 years. But due to a condition called Nuroma, the socket prosthetic became just too painful to use.
“Everything was good, and then just one day, they start growing inside your leg,” he explained. “When you cut a nerve cut always try to attach itself again and then heal. The ones that couldn’t, they form a ball on the end. And they become very painful. It got to the point where I could barely use my leg.”
Ron had to be medicated because of the constant pain due to the Nuromas. He was prescribed Morphine. When his body grew accustomed to it, he was prescribed Fentanyl. It would be three years before he discovered Osseointegration.
“That changed my life right there as soon as I got my leg," he said. "It just gives you your quality of life back, that’s all I can tell you.”
The procedure has been around since the late 1990s. First practiced in Sweden, and further improved in Australia. It is currently only performed in Quebec.
Dr. Robert Turcotte is the chair of Surgical Oncology at the McGill University Health Centre. He assisted the movement to bring Osseointegration to Canada and performed Ron’s surgery.
“It’s not something that’s easy to live with, when you’re an amputee,” Dr. Turcotte said. “But this provides additional help, to your comfort to your limb control, to your feeling with the limb and the environment.”
Because the rod isn’t weight bearing on the skin and muscle of the leg, Ron’s Nuroma’s aren’t affected. The procedure has completely changed his life. Off medication, he looks forward to enjoying all the things he missed during his long ordeal.
“Now I’m off of everything and life is great, life is great,” he said. “That’s all I can say, I’m just so happy to be off of it. With everything that turned out, the surgery and everything, I wish I could’ve had it done 20 years ago.”
Turcotte explained that Ron was one of the most successful Osseointegration cases due to his specific circumstances, seeing as the procedure allowed him to be free of his pain. But because the procedure is relatively new, there must be caution in promoting it and much care taken when selecting candidates to minimize possible complications.
“It’s not for everyone,” he said. “But you know at five years, 95 per cent of the patients are doing very well and retain their implant. This is quite encouraging, but the long term, 10, 20, 30 years there’s more unknown there. So that is why we need to be careful in promoting this technology.”
Due to these percentages, he is confident that work will move forward with the procedure and it will continue to be improved.
“There will be improvements in the design of the implant, in the surgical technique and better understanding of how to prevent complications,” he said.
“In the coming years, we will be moving to immediate Osseointegration. Moving from those who cannot stand a socket to those who are likely to do better with immediate Osseointegration. So, I think this is the next step toward the bionic limb.”
Ron’s wife Shelly said she’s so happy that Ron’s ordeal is finally over.
“He’s so much happier now,” she said. “People take for granted simple things like going for a walk. We never did that, like even walking through a park. We were in our 20s when this happened, and we couldn’t even do things like that.”
It’s because of this success that Ron wants to share his story. He wants to inform people about Osseointegration in the hopes that he may help others that are currently suffering like he did.
“Because I think there’s people out there that just don’t know about this, I didn’t know about it. And when I found out and asked the doctor, I was just so happy, so happy they could do something for me,” he said.
Ron wishes to see the availability of the procedure expand so that amputees that can benefit from it are able to receive it in Saskatchewan.
“If there’s people here, that think there’s no hope,” he said, “There is hope.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.