Glenn Johnstone - Saddles Up With PACE!
Above knee amputee and cross country mountain biker Glenn Johnstone, from County Durham, has recently started benefitting from the expert support from PACE Rehabilitation.
Following more than ten years of pain, suffering and immobility from a cell tumour in his Tibia, Glenn elected to have an above knee amputation in September 2007. Glenn explains “This brought a dramatic change in my life, which I am pleased to say is for the good.
Determined to return to the saddle and get his life back on track, Glenn started a Facebook group, to document his own progress and encourage other amputees. It was through this medium that PACE and Glenn were brought together.
Frustrated by the limitations and inadequacies of his existing prosthesis when cycling, PACE Prosthetist Jamie Gillespie (himself an amputee and former Paralympian) offered to help Glenn with a bespoke cycling leg that would meet the strenuous demands Glenn imposes on his prosthesis.
“The crucial component of Glenn’s prosthesis is the socket.” Jamie explains “It is this element that offers the comfort and control necessary to be able to ride competitively. We used a unique design previously unavailable to provide Glenn with a functional and comfortable prosthesis.”
With his exotic bike on indoor training rollers, the team at PACE analysed exactly how Glenn and the new prosthesis were performing in the initial stages. Fine tuning and alterations to the socket were made before a definitive version was produced.
Jamie explains “It‘s essential with a cycling prosthesis, as with any specialised sports prosthesis, that it is designed and constructed for the individual and their needs. It was important that we not only had Glenn, but also his bike present in the clinic.”
Although still in the early stages of development, Glenn is already he is making rapid progress and reports a massive improvement. “Both the socket & liner have preformed fantastically. The leg is so much more comfortable. I'm just so grateful to Jamie and PACE, that they are so devoted to doing this kind of research and assisting me. It's fantastic being part of something that might eventually help other amputees.”
PACE will continue to evolve the cycling prosthesis, based on Glenn's feedback. Jamie revealed “we have a further developments which will benefit Glenn and hopefully other amputee cyclists.”
