As a Lawall Team member, Prosthetic-Orthotic Technician Justin Salvaterra has had plenty of opportunities to test and compare a variety of lower limb prosthetic types and designs. When he recently discovered a running foot that surprised him with its unexpected bonus of benefits, he was happy to share his impressions—and his history that led to the discovery.
Justin’s limb loss was the result of a necessary below-knee amputation that successfully eliminated a synovial sarcoma tumor when he was 12 years old.
“I was really lucky growing up in North Carolina,” he recalls, “where I had a great prosthetist who took care of me. I got a prosthetic leg that enabled me to continue to play recreational sports like baseball, basketball, and be pretty active—it was good. I didn’t have a running leg then, and didn’t really know the difference.”
Over the years and into adulthood, he had less time for sports and spent more time at work, so he was also less active. When he saw people with running blades at a recent clinic, however, he was interested and impressed.
“Unfortunately, healthcare insurance doesn’t cover running blades for amputees,” he explained, “so I’ve never been able to have one; never even saw that as a possibility.”
Following the clinic, however, he received an unexpected donation of an Ossur Flex-Run running blade that he described as life-changing.
“I was able to move like I never could before! I found I actually can run! My brother and sister are both marathon runners. I’ve
never really been able to be a part of that world, but once I got the blade I thought I’d give it a whirl. And I’ve really taken to it—more than I ever thought I would!”
The Flex-Run is nothing less than a total game-changer, he claims: “One of the biggest challenges of being an amputee is staying mobile. If you lose your mobility, it’s difficult to regain it; if you can stay active it makes a huge difference in your ability to be independent. This foot motivates you to keep moving; and the more you move, the better you’re able to move.
“I never thought I could run—I couldn’t run one block when I started running! And now I can run for at least half an hour. But that’s all it takes: having the access to mobility—and running!”
Although Justin doesn’t consider himself a marathon runner yet, he’s working on it.
“I’ve been running for only a few months, but I’ve found some 5K’s—and I’m going to do the Broad Street run this year!”
Philadelphia’s ten-mile Broad Street Run (May 4, 2025), challenges more than 40,000 participants and takes about 2 hours to complete.
Justin’s support crew includes his wife—who not only comes to all his races, but has also started to join him on some of the runs, and will be there to cheer when he reaches the Broad Street finish line!
