More than 25 years after his treatment with the OPRA™ Implant System, Conny Henriksson is still leading an active life, and even chopping his own wood in the forest.
In 1987, Conny was enjoying his hobby; transporting wood home from the forest, when an unfortunate accident occurred. His leg was so badly injured that the medical team treating him immediately decided to amputate his leg above the knee.
Conny then received a socket prosthesis, which, though very uncomfortable, enabled him to keep his job at the furniture factory where he worked. “The socket used to chafe my leg and irritate the skin of my stump so that I got abrasions, sores, and skin infections. Most times I could wear it for the week at work, but then I had to leave it off for the weekend, and just use crutches. It was also difficult to put on properly, it would not be stable, or chafe too much, and I would be forced to return home”.
In 1994, after 8 years of this, Conny received a referral from his new prosthetist to Carlanderska Hospital in Gothenburg, where he came into the care of Professors Per-Ingvar and Rickard Brånemark. There, in 1995, Conny became one of the first in the world to be treated with the OPRA™ Implant System. Following his rehabilitation, Conny returned to work full time.
“Without this treatment, I would never have been able to continue working, and certainly not until my retirement in 2015”. Now Conny is wearing his prosthesis every day, taking long walks, and is once again out in the forest, cutting down trees and harvesting wood. When asked what the best part of receiving the treatment was, Conny said that the simple things like being able to sit comfortably, knowing that the prosthesis was correctly seated every time, and being able to take long walks in comfort were what he appreciated most.
When asked what he would say to a fellow amputee who was considering treatment with the OPRA™ Implant System, Canny said “I absolutely recommend it”.