British amputee first to be fitted with bionic leg

AN AMPUTEE who lost his left leg in a road crash has become the first British patient to be fitted with a new bionic leg prosthetic system.

The Genium leg is said to provide lower limb amputees such as Matthew Newbury with the ability to move with greater precision and response.

Its supplier, Otto Bock Healthcare, claims the microprocessor-operated system — which launched yesterday in Britain — revolutionises the quality of life for amputees.

It can differentiate between when a person is standing still and walking, and has 10 modes for different activities, such as cycling, cross-country skiing and golf.

One of its key technological aspects is the Optimised Physiological Gait (OPG) which allows for a gait close to a natural one.

Newbury’s system has been personalised to enable him to lock the leg in a position to operate a rudder pedal when he flies aeroplanes.

Costs vary but his is worth around £50,000 (€58,686), which includes the prosthesis, fitting appointments with his prosthetist at ProActive Prosthetics and six years warranty and servicing.

Property developer Newbury, 30, was aged 15 when he lost his left leg after a motorbike he was a pillion passenger on was struck from behind by a Land Rover.

In 2004 he was awarded £2.1 million (€2.46m) in compensation — and blew some of the cash on a Porsche with the number plate HA5 1 LEG.

Today the Genium enables him to walk up stairs foot-over-foot, walk backwards, cope with rough terrain and stand for long periods with his knee locked — feats that were never before possible for him.

Newbury, who lives in central London, said: “The new Genium has completely changed the way I live my life and has provided me with the confidence to attempt things that I had thought were beyond me.”