Osseointegration
Osseointegration is an advanced reconstructive surgery technique for amputees that eliminates the need for a traditional prosthesis. Because the implant connects directly with the bone of the residual limb, osseointegration patients regain body awareness and improve their balance and gait.
Osseointegration offers patients a better quality of life and improved function & mobility without the usual socket prosthesis-related issues such as pinching, sweating, muscle weakness, and skin irritation.
Osseointegrated bone-anchored prostheses can be implanted in the humerus (upper arm bone), radius or ulna (forearm bones), femur (thigh bone), or tibia (lower leg bone).
What is Osseointegration
Am I a Candidate for Osseointegration Limb Replacement?
Osseointegration implants are a good option for amputees who are having a poor experience with their current prosthesis or do not want to use a traditional prosthetic leg or arm. Socket prostheses can be difficult for patients with a residual limb that is scarred, short, or wide. Because osseointegrated implants are implanted directly into the remaining bone, the shape of the residual limb does not cause the pain and discomfort patients typically feel with a traditional socket prosthesis.
Patient Evaluation Process
Why choose the University of Colorado Limb Restoration Program?
Dr. Jason Stoneback, Director of the Limb Restoration Program, is one of the few physicians across the globe that has been trained in all osseointegration implant procedures.
Since its founding in 2015, the University of Colorado Limb Restoration Program has been unique in its comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach. All of our patients receive world-class care and personalized attention. Each patient is monitored by our Osseointegration Program Coordinator, who guides patients through the program. Our team is also a social worker and amputee rehabilitation specialist, as well as physicians specializing in wound care, plastic surgery, foot & ankle care, interventional radiology, endocrinology, rehabilitation medicine, prosthetics, infectious disease, gait analysis, vascular medicine, or musculoskeletal oncology. We are proud to earn our 100% patient satisfaction rate.
Our Team Members
Osseointegration Physicians
Jason Stoneback, MD
Dr. Jason Stoneback, Director of the Limb Restoration Program, was one of the first orthopedic surgeons to offer osseointegration surgery in the United States and is widely considered to be one of the best American osseointegration surgeons. He has performed over 100 successful osseointegration surgeries and is regarded as a world expert in the field. Dr. Stoneback has been a practicing orthopedic surgeon since graduating from the University of Tennessee in 2006 and was trained in both OPRA and press fit osseointegration techniques in Germany and the Netherlands. He strongly believes in the connection between form and function and strives to provide patients with real options – often when all other choices have been exhausted.
Learn more about Dr. Stoneback’s clinical and research work by clicking here.
Danielle Melton, MD
Dr. Danielle Melton, Director of Amputation Medicine and Rehabilitation for the Limb Restoration Program, specializes in the rehabilitation of orthopedic trauma patients. She is a leading medical expert on amputation medicine and osseointegrated amputees, and has been selected by her peers as a “Best Doctor in America” every year since 2009. She is the Co-Chair for the Limb Restoration Rehabilitation Group of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, serves as the Scientific Chair for the Limb Loss and Preservation Registry (a National Institutes of Health/Mayo Clinic initiative), and does research with the Department of Defense’s Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC).
Learn more about Dr. Melton’s clinical and research work by clicking here.
Osseointegration News & Video
5 Takeaways from the Limb Preservation Foundation Symposium
The theme of last Friday’s 2nd Annual Limb Preservation Foundation Symposium (co-sponsored by Amplitude) was “Hope, Help & Possibilities.” It was hard not to feel hopeful after the day-long event, which showcased the bounty of emerging treatments and technologies to improve amputees’ lives. There were sessions on mobility, mental health, pain management, osseointegration, next-gen bionic limbs, and a whole lot more. Here’s a handful of highlights that made our spirits soar.
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LLPR Kicks Amputee Data Collection Into High Gear
It’s been just over a year since the Limb Loss and Preservation Registry (LLPR) flipped its shingle from “Coming Soon” to “Open for Business.” Co-founded by the Mayo Clinic with funding from the National Institutes of Health, the LLPR is now receiving data about amputee care...
Osseointegration, A Game Changer for Amputee's
As more people with amputations choose osseointegration (OI), prosthetists across the country are learning how to support this patient base. About 2,000 patients across the world have undergone the procedure to have titanium implanted inside their bones to connect to their prostheses.
Osseointegration in the US--Prosthetic Implications for today and tomorrow
Good morning and welcome out to this clinical education program which is entitled Osteo integration in the U.S. prosthetic implications for today and tomorrow. My name is Charles Kuffel and I'm pleased to serve as your moderator this morning. In this program, our panel will discuss the past, present, and future of Osteo integration. This presentation will begin with the history outcomes, research, risk benefits, and research and resources for patients.
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Opting for Osseointegration
by Rene Agredano
Lauren Malinowitzer never imagined she would spend an entire year sitting in a recliner, deeply depressed from an orthopedic surgery gone wrong. But dead nerves in her right ankle stole her mobility, and daily battles with chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) filled her with despair. During one especially bad morning in 2019, Malinowitzer felt the only way out of her agony was to stop living altogether. She wrote goodbye notes to her family and stashed them away. Then she went off to a medical appointment in Manhattan that changed everything.
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Osseointegrated Prostheses Improve Balance
Abstract
Background: More than half of patients with lower-limb amputation who use socket prostheses experience at least one fall annually. These falls are primarily attributed to reduced proprioception which negatively affects balance. A promising alternative to socket prostheses are osseointegrated prostheses that involve direct fixation of the prosthetic limb to the residual limb through a bone-anchored implant, yet its effect on balance remains unknown. Research question: Do osseointegrated prostheses change static and dynamic balance, as well as patient reported measures of balance confidence, compared to a socket prosthesis?
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Implant Options Expand Prosthetists
by Christine Umbrell
MORE THAN 500 individuals with limb loss residing in the United States have undergone osseointegration (OI) surgery to achieve direct skeletal attachment of a prosthesis to their residual limb via implant, according to estimates from the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP). This number is expected to increase at a fast pace as more implants receive recognition by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As awareness of and demand for OI grows, more prosthetists will need to effectively treat this patient population.
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PRACTICE LOCATIONS
CU Limb Restoration Program - University of Colorado Hospital
1635 Aurora Court Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion, 4th floor, Aurora, CO 80045To make an appointment call: 1-844-800-LIMB (5462)
Fax: 720-553-0402
For urgent or emergency transfers, call the Access Center at: (720) 848-2828
E-Mail:
LimbRestoration@uchealth.org