Teen Timing for Microprocessor Technology

A high-value prosthetic knee for a teen is not a luxury add-on; it is an investment in safety, strength, participation, and long‑term joint health at exactly the time in life when those gains compound the most.

Why teen timing matters

• Teens are logging huge step counts during high school and into college, so every inefficient step magnifies compensations like hip hiking, circumduction, and lateral trunk lean.

• This is also a peak window for building quads, hamstrings, and core strength, which can better protect joints and the sound limb if gait is optimized instead of compensated.

  
  

Emerging evidence in early/younger use

• Early‑rehab users of microprocessor knees demonstrate better mobility scores, faster Timed Up and Go performance, and higher balance confidence than those starting on non‑microprocessor knees, suggesting functional gains when technology is introduced sooner rather than later.¹

• Case data in adolescents show that a teen can successfully use a microprocessor knee and experience improvements in walking speed, physical function, and quality of life, supporting the idea that teens are quick learners who can capitalize on this technology.²

  
  

A call to shift the default

• If teens are old enough to descend school stairs independently, hike with friends, navigate a hilly campus, and start fighting their own insurance battles, they are old enough to be evaluated for microprocessor technology that helps them do those things more safely and efficiently.

• As a field, waiting until after college—or after years of entrenched gait deviations—means missing the developmental window when they are surrounded by PTs, ATCs, families, and school supports who can help them relearn movement patterns with the right tools in place.

  
  

Are we as a profession, still waiting too long to fit teens? Are we too worried that insurance companies will baulk? Why are we waiting?

We made a fun little video of a teen's first experience with a microprocessor knee. Check it out!

1. Morgan SJ, Friedly JL, Nelson IK, Rosen RE, Humbert AT, Hafner BJ. The effects of microprocessor prosthetic knee use in early rehabilitation: A pilot randomized controlled trial. PM R. 2025 Apr;17(4):371-383. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.13321. Epub 2025 Feb 2. PMID: 39895150; PMCID: PMC11974485.

2. Tofts LJ, Hamblin N. C-Leg® improves function and quality of life in an adolescent traumatic trans-femoral amputee: A case study. Prosthetics and Orthotics International. 2013;38(5):413-417. doi:10.1177/0309364613502354