Readers Response #4

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The Fillauer product webpage (n.d.) and Supplier Partner product webpage (n.d.) present the AllPro with Direct Mount Pyramid prosthetic foot’s various features and functions, including the highlights of the product’s unique functionality. The AllPro's functionality is designed with active users in mind, offering great versatility and dynamic performance. It allows amputees to partake in a variety of activities, including jogging, walking, and sports like basketball and tennis (Fillauer AllPro Foot, 2017).


The prosthetic features a carbon composite architecture of the foot that provides smooth plantar and dorsiflexion, absorbing and returning energy efficiently to accommodate high-impact exercises as well as daily wear (Fillauer, n.d.). Among the features is the AllPro's rocker toe, which facilitates effortless rollover and results in more fluid, low-effort movements. The exact alignment adjustments provided by the RPI pyramid adapter allow for a more customized fit through optimizing alignments and performances for adult transtibial (TT) and transfemoral (TF) amputees and the multiaxial function capability improves the user’s stability on rough terrain. Furthermore, the prosthetic's lightweight design (15.9 oz) ensures strength and longevity by supporting up to 330lbs or 149kgs (SPS, n.d.).

 

Like Fillauer, Ottobock is another prosthetic company renowned for emphasizing innovation and adding new features to its prosthetic devices to meet end users' changing needs (Singh Rawat, 2022), particularly the Ottobock’s 1E91 prosthetic model, The Runner (Ottobock, n.d.).

 


The Fillauer’s AllPro prosthetic is superior to Ottobock’s 1E91 The Runner prosthetic in terms of versatility and, weight and load capacity.

 


In terms of weight and load capacity, the Allpro weighs about 19 oz or an estimated 538 grams because of the lightweight design, enabling the prosthetic to support up to 330lbs or 149kgs of the user’s weight (SPS, n.d.) as compared to the Ottobock’s 1E91 The Runner, which can only support up to an estimated 229lbs or 104 kg of the user’s weight (Ottobock, n.d.).

 


Furthermore, the Allpro also uses a carbon C-spring pylon, which enables the storage and release of maximum energy during movement, while fixed with a special wave spring foot plate that absorbs shock and terrain compliance during movements where when the heel strikes the ground, bridging the gap between every day and sports prosthetics in a single product (Fillauer, n.d.).

 


However, even though the Allpro is designed to allow users to participate in a wide variety of sports, it does not focus on specialized sports such as track & field where running requires a high absorption and high return of energy. Therefore, in this case, users or athletes would prefer Ottobock’s 1E91 The Runner, which is specifically designed and optimized for running, compared to Fillauer’s AllPro with Direct Mount Pyramid, which is designed with an objective for a more general usage rather than a specified usage of the prosthetic.

 


In conclusion, although the Fillauer AllPro with Direct Mount Pyramid prosthetic foot is superior to Ottobock 1E91 The Runner prosthetic in terms of versatility, weight and load capacity, it does have its drawbacks when it comes to catering to the specific needs of specialized sports due to its general-purpose focus. Ultimately, users should choose based on their individual activity requirements to ensure optimal performance and comfort.




References: 

(In alphabetical order)

 

Singh Rawat, A. (2022, November 9). Global prosthetics and orthotics market: Top prosthetics and orthotics companies – Ken Research [Post]. LinkedIn.

        https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/global-prosthetics-orthotics-market-top-companies-ken-singh-rawat/


 

 

Fillauer. (n.d.). AllPro with Direct Mount Pyramid  

        https://fillauer.com/products/allpro-with-direct-mount-pyramid/

 

 

SPS. (n.d.). AllPro K3 - K4 Foot with Direct Mount Pyramid.   

        https://www.spsco.com/allpro-1.html

 

 

Fillauer. (n.d.). AllPro with Direct Mount Pyramid Manual.  

        https://fillauer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/M065-AllPro-DM-Manual-10-24.pdf

             

Do You Know Your K-Level? (2013, September/October). Amputee Coalition, 23(5).

        https://www.amputee-coalition.org/resources/your-k-level/#:~:text=Sue%20%7C%20K%2Dlevels%20are%20a,to%20use%20the%20device%20properly.


 

 

Borowsky, L. (2024, February 29), “Playing the Market: Why Do Prosthetics Cost So Much?”, Amplitude Article.

        https://livingwithamplitude.com/article/why-prosthetics-cost-so-much-amputees/#:~:text=Several%20people%20observed%20that%20the,down%2C%E2%80%9D%20noted%20one%20commenter.

 

Lawall Prosthetics and Orthotics (n.d.), Prosthetic Leg Costs

        https://www.lawall.com/blog/how-much-does-a-prosthetic-leg-cost

 

 

 Low Extremity Review. (2017), Fillauer AllPro Foot

         https://lermagazine.com/products/fillauer-allpro-foot


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