Hospital helps amputee athletes to excel

Adrian Howden and Phil Sheridan, who are both amputees, have been working with the prosthetics service at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to help them achieve their ambitions with the help of special blades which transform their ability to compete in running events.

The blades are similar to those made famous by the South African paralympian Oscar Pistorius, who sprints on a pair of carbon-fibre legs.

The high-technology blades can be prescribed on the NHS for patients who have lost a limb but still have a high level of mobility and fitness.

Mr Howden, 54, a teacher from Leeds, had his right leg amputated below the knee in 2006 after being seriously injured in a road traffic accident the previous year.

He was a keen sportsman before his accident and was anxious to regain as much of his former mobility as possible after being fitted with a prosthetic limb.

Mr Howden was particularly keen to pursue competitive cycling and running and thanks to his running blade he is now an elite paratriathlete who has competed in numerous sporting events in the UK and abroad, most recently in a duathlon, a run followed by cycling and another run, at the ITU World Championships in Gijon, Spain, where he finished fifth overall.

“There’s quite a knack to using the blade and it isn’t right for everyone, so amputees who want to do everyday running or jogging will find a high-activity foot is often better,” Mr Howden said.

“Where it comes into its own is for sprinting as it is brilliant for speed because of the spring forward.

“Having it means I can hold my own with other top athletes in the sport.”

Mr Sheridan, 47, who works in children’s services for Leeds City Council, lives in Worth Village, Keighley. He had his right leg amputated below the knee after an horrific accident in 2002 when he narrowly escaped death after his motorcycle was involved in a collision with a 25-tonne lorry. Since then he has undergone nine operations.

The keen martial arts practitioner began to run again when screws and a plate were removed from his right femur last year and has been developing an interest in extreme sports, particularly trail running – off-road running. He has recently been provided with his distance running blade by his prosthetist at Seacroft Hospital and is delighted at how it has helped improve his running.

“To get this blade through the NHS is fantastic and I feel very privileged that the hard work I have put into improving my fitness meant I met the criteria,” he said. “The difference it makes to my running is unbelievable and it has certainly enabled me to widen my horizons and access activities I’d never imagined would be possible.”

Nancy Rhodes, specialist rehabilitation services manager for the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which provides a service for patients the region, said as much as possible it wanted patients to have the same mobility they had before their amputation.

“This means that for keen sportsmen like Adrian and Phil who have reached a high level of fitness and are progressing well in their rehabilitation we will prescribe these blades which are quite incredible in terms of the turn of speed they give the wearer,” she said

Steve Carter, branch manager of prosthetic provider RSL Steeper, which works in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals, at Seacroft, added: “It’s really inspiring to work with Adrian and Phil, who are living proof that athletic ability isn’t constrained by losing a limb.

“While these types of blades are highly specialised and used by top athletes, people are often surprised to hear they can be made available on the NHS, in addition to their regular prosthetic limb, based on individual clinical need. We are really proud that patients from our centre are able to compete in top international events and it is a privilege to work with them.”

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