London will welcome 1,100 athletes to compete in the 2012 Paralympics in between August and September. Many paralympians with limb loss will be using running blades to help them compete at the highest level.
The running blade is a J-shaped, high performance carbon composite prosthetic sprinting foot, designed to store and release energy in order to mimic the reaction of the functional foot/ankle joint of able-bodied runners.
Why do we need this innovation?
Artificial limbs have come a long way. Older prosthetics were made of wood, metal and leather. They were a actually made to look like a foot, sacrificing performance of the foot over how it looks.
With the help of modern technology people can often lead the kind of lives they want, achieving things that were almost unimaginable in previous generations. After running on blades for only four years, Oscar Pistorius is a world champion sprinter who has broken his own world records some 30 times. He is the first ever Paralympian to win Gold in each of the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints (Beijing 2008), and his international reputation as the ‘fastest man on no legs’ is gaining momentum with every race.
How it fits
- Socket
His leg fits into a sock and snugly rests in a carbon fibre composite socket. - Attachment
The connection between the foot and the socket is high enough on the back of the socket to accommodate a long foot. - Foot (Carbon composite)
The entire curved component is called the foot. There are spikes in the underside of the tip.
Attack of the Facts
Fact 1
The shape, which somewhat resembles the hind quarter of a cheetah, acts like a spring and shock absorber.
Fact 2
Blades are specifically designed for running, allowing amputee athletes to train better and with less risk of injury than if they used prosthetic feet designed for normal daily activities.
Fact 3
Running blades are NOT bionic limbs. They do not incorporate sensors, microprocessors, or motors to supply powered movement and responses for the user. Running blades return a high proportion of the energy stored when the foot makes contact with the running surface. Because of the momentum of the runner and the shape of the blade, the energy is returned at a later point in the stride and in the right direction to drive the runner forward.
Fact 4
Every medallist in the 100m, 200m and 400m races at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens wore a running blade.