The Total Surface Bearing below-knee socket is the goal of most prosthetists today. Since your prosthesis and tissues of your limb are required to support all your body weight during the “single-support” phase of gait from mid-stance to terminal stance. The greater the surface we can spread those forces over the less the pressure is over any one particular spot and, in theory, the more comfortable you’ll be while wearing your prosthesis. However, we base the socket on a cast that we take while you’re relaxed and sitting with no weight bearing when we take the cast of your residuum and while we’re able to get pretty good results it remains out of sync with the way your prosthesis is supposed to function.
The Symphonie Aqua system changes all that.
Through the use of water, a containment vessel, and silicone bladder, we are able to capture the shape of your limb under full weight bearing, in the same manner that you wear your prosthesis. This takes the Total Surface Bearing concept to a new level, which, in turn, brings socket comfort to a new level. Capturing the shape in this manner we are able to duplicate the way the soft tissue and bony anatomy as it will be in the socket at maximum load just as it occurs when you’re walking on the prosthesis. We now know how much pressure you’re putting through your residuum and because, unlike air, water is not compressible we also know that this pressure is evenly distributed over the whole surface of your residuum as the Total Surface Bearing concept intended.
At Cascade Prosthetic Services we’ve been using the passive Aqua system for nearly 2 full years now and are achieving excellent results. We are the first, and only, facility in Alberta to use this technology, and are just the second facility nationally to use this. If you’re in the market for a new below-knee prosthesis, aren’t satisfied with your current fit or are just curious about this, feel free to contact our Professionals and discuss this.