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The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) has distributed 3,256 grants valued at $6.2 million to athletes ranging from first-time applicants to elite-level Paralympic competitors this year. The grants provide financial support for adaptive sports equipment not typically covered by medical insurance for items such as running prostheses, handcycles and sport wheelchairs, adaptive training equipment, and expenses related to competition travel, training, and coaching. Almost 20% of the funds went to individuals with limb loss or limb difference.

“We believe sports is a pathway to more in life, and that’s why we are committed to providing access to equipment, travel, and competition expenses for athletes of all abilities across a wide variety of sports and activities,” said Kristine Entwistle, CAF chief executive director. “We were proud to support nearly 700 first-time applicants, increase the number of grants to youth under 18, and provide access to some of the most innovative sports equipment available.” This year, 80 Össur prosthetic sports feet and knees were granted to athletes as part of the program. “Thousands of people have benefited from the partnership between Össur and CAF, and we are proud to continue this tradition this year, so that even more people with limb loss and limb difference have the opportunity to enjoy life without limitations,” said Sveinn Sölvason, president and CEO of Össur. Hanger Clinic announced that the ASCENT K2 clinical study has enrolled its first 100 patients. The five-year study, called Assessing Outcomes With Microprocessor Knee (MPK) Utilization in a K2 Population (ASCENT K2), is a collaboration between the Hanger Institute for Clinical Research and Education and Ottobock to study the health benefits that MPK technologies provide for individuals ages 65 and older.

ASCENT K2 began enrolling test subjects and fitting patients with MPKs in July 2021. Half of the participants are being fit with MPKs while the other half are being fit with mechanical, non-MPK knees. The study may provide findings to support new coverage policies, potentially providing expanded access to seniors with above-knee limb loss, according to Hanger.

Correction: The article “Foot Comfort and Care” in the March 2022 issue misstated the location where the UCBL foot orthosis was originally designed. It was developed at the University of California Biomechanics Laboratory, not the University of California-Berkeley Lab.

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