Bionic leg is giving amputees life changing help

MAYFAIR (WPVI) -- A local company is giving some amputees life-changing help in Philadelphia's Mayfair neighborhood.

"I'm feeling good. Obviously it improves your quality of life," Richard Williams said.

Williams lost his leg in a motorcycle accident over a decade ago.

It was a life changing tragedy, but today another life altering moment, this time in a good way.

Michael Magee of Endolite said, "The Linx is the first one where you have the knee and the foot talking together, and we are trying to normalize what patients can do."

This week at Lawall Prosthetics in Mayfair, Williams was fitted for the world's first state of the art prosthetic that make it possible for the knee to seamlessly communicate with the ankle and foot.

Williams walked back in forth as technicians adjusted some of the screws and used this computer program to recalibrate the limb until his leg movement felt more natural.

"If you have a prosthetic leg on your left, you are using the right at almost double the time, so this will save them a lot of possible surgeries. Make them feel like they're walking with an actual leg knee ankle and so forth," Bo Powers of Lawall Prosthetics said.

"When patients are walking on an even terrain it makes the walk a lot more normal," Jack Lawall of Lawall Prosthetics said.

Lawall has fitted over an astounding 500 thousand prosthetics over his 40 year career here at his family owned business.

He says this truly is groundbreaking technology.

"Years ago we always wanted to get people back to just walking now we want to get people back to their lives," Lawall said

Patrick Greene of Bucks County, who relies on a wheelchair now, is next in line to be fitted and can hardly wait to enjoy a more active life.

"I'm all up for it. I can't wait." When asked what are you looking forward to the most? "Being able to walk and run again," Greene said.

Two patients will get their new prosthetic legs within 24 hours. One of them is a fisherman, the other a hunter. The goal is to get them right back to doing what they love.

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