Despite a right hip disarticulation four years ago, Donald Coyner is a regular out on the golf course. While his swing is making him a formidable contender in local and regional amputee golf tournaments, it's his gait that amazes even seasoned prosthetists.

"Many people are unaware that he is an amputee. I would describe his gait as akin to someone recovering from a twisted ankle - or maybe like that of an accomplished AK," commented John J. Kamp, CPO, and manager of American Prosthetics and Orthotics' Davenport office.

"He's an exceptional hip disarticulation patient - very high-functioning," John added.

Almost as remarkable as his adjustment to a hip disarticulation is the fact that the 34-year-old Keokuk native survived the Ewing's Sarcoma that ultimately claimed his right leg. Diagnosed at age 14 with the generally fatal variety of bone cancer, Don said his doctors gave him a 25 percent chance of recovery.

"I was told that I'd received the highest dosage of chemo/radiation they'd ever given up to that point," he recalled. "I had no problems for the next 10 years, although my thigh had shrunk some from the chemo treatments."

Always athletic, Don played football and basketball, rode dirt bikes, and water skied through his early 20s. He was employed in shipping and receiving, loading trucks, when he broke his right leg. The fracture was joined by a pin and rod. However, infection soon set in, later spreading through his body. For three years, physicians fought to save the leg through antibiotics and a series of bone graft surgeries. Shortly after Thanksgiving in 1994, he incurred a mid-femur amputation. When cancer reappeared in the residual limb, a hip disarticulation followed.

"I never had any physical therapy afterward - just started walking," Don reported. "Although it was hard getting used to the mechanics of the prosthesis, it was great not having the pain. My knee had been locked for two years after my leg was broken, and I'd had more trouble walking on my natural leg than with the prosthesis."

AmPro Fashions High-Tech, Lightweight Prosthesis

After experimenting with a series of prosthetic components, John Kamp, Don's prosthetist since the amputation, united an Otto Bock hip joint with a titanium pylon, a Century XXII knee with auxiliary extension assist, and a Modular III Flex-Foot. Its total weight is slightly over 10 pounds, and Don wears the prosthesis throughout his waking hours.

Presently, John is designing a new prosthesis that is lighter in weight and provides greater flexibility in Don's swing and stance. A reconfigured acrylic hip socket will be less bulky, offering enhanced comfort, and a more intimate fit, and increasing pelvic tilt. A Century XXII Total Shock pylon will absorb torque forces on Don's new prosthesis. Since the pylon can be locked in neutral or slightly flexed positions, it prevents the knee from buckling or hyperextending. These modifications will make it more compatible with the forward spring of the Flex-Foot. Further changes include incorporating a USMC energy-loading thigh strut that delivers an energy assist from hip socket to knee component, and a new cosmetic cover.

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

"Don's anatomy has changed somewhat since he's been wearing the prosthesis, and the new design should add to his comfort as well as give him increased flexibility when he's playing golf," John noted.

Don, meanwhile, is pleased with his prosthetic care and anxious to get back on the golf course once winter is a memory.

"I've been working with John Kamp and Benno Baumhardt since the beginning. They're both great - I can call and they'll see me the same day if need be. We've tried a number of components, but I'm staying with my Century XXII knee. I have a lot of confidence in it and I especially appreciate the extension assist," Don stressed.

"Now I just need my new issue of Amputee Golfer magazine so I know what tournaments to enter this year. I'd really like to go to Canada to play!"

Spring 99 index