Bill’s Osteoarthritis

Bill Horne was diagnosed with osteoarthritis nine years ago after experiencing a number of knee dislocations in his youth. Over time, his pain got worse and worse. Bill’s surgeon recommended he undergo a knee replacement when the pain became unbearable.

Surgery wasn’t an option

Bill’s condition was serious, and he soon became depressed. He could no longer practice karate – his beloved sport of 40 years.  Surgery wasn’t an option for Bill; his wife would have to retire early to help care for him. His friends had mixed results with surgery and he knew once a chunk of bone is removed, it’s gone forever. As a result, Bill spent years searching for an alternative to knee replacement.

Bill tried a number of pain management treatments and had some success with acupuncture, but that didn’t help improve his mobility. He couldn’t go down stairs without sitting and sliding down one step at a time. He couldn’t get out of a chair without the use of his arms. Simply tying his shoelaces was difficult.

Bill took up Iaido, a Japanese martial art, upon a recommendation made by a friend. Things started to look up, but his ability to practice his new sport was limited. Bill had other health concerns too. Having diabetes, his doctor wanted him to lose weight and exercise more to improve his health. There was a big problem though: his knee would dislocate whenever he tried going for extended walks. Because of this, following his doctor’s orders to exercise more was difficult, if not impossible.

The bionic knee brace solution

With the LevitationTM Knee Brace, Bill’s life was transformed. Thanks to Levitation’s bionic technology, Bill can squat for the first time in 35 years. He practices Iaido without pain, climbs and descends stairs, and takes long walks without fear of dislocating his knees. He has a new lease on life, sometimes thinking the technology is too good to be true.