636 chapter 67
Jaipur limb
The ‘Jaipur limb’ was developed in Jaipur, India to meet the need for a limb that
would (1) allow working ‘barefoot’ in rice paddies, (2) look like a real bare foot, (3)
bend at the foot in all directions enough so the person can squat easily and walk
firmly on uneven ground, and (4) be low cost and quick to make.
The foot is made of
wood and sponge rubber
and then ‘vulcanized’
(heat molded) with
rubber, using a metal
vulcanized
mold. The rubber
gives the foot its
rubber
coating
life-like form and
color and makes it
strong and waterproof.
THE JAIPUR FOOT
wood
rubber core
squatting
The limb is made of SHEET ALUMINUM.
1. Take
measurements
of normal leg.
2. Mark a sheet
of aluminum and
cut out leg form.
3. Bend
into tube.
AA
BB
CC
DD
EE
FF
(Total cost for the below-knee
limb can be less than US $20.)
4. Weld
the seam.
5. Hammer tube into shape
of leg. With repeated tests,
fit it to the
knee just
right.
6. Attach knee strap
and foot.
strap
cotton
blanket
covered by
corduroy
(strong
soft cloth)
wood block
to hold on
foot
To make the Jaipur limb requires a lot of
skill as well as special equipment. But once a
shop is set up and persons trained, the limb
can be made at very low cost, and fitted very
quickly (one hour from the first measurements
until the person walks away on his new limb).
For instructions, contact Rehab Centre, SMS
Medical College, Jaipur 302004, India.
Ideas for a limb-making shop. On p. 521
there is a description of the OHI prosthetics
shop in Thailand, where amputee workers
make the bamboo and above-knee adjustable
limbs shown in this chapter.
JAIPUR ABOVE-KNEE DESIGN
Flexible hip
attachment
allows sitting
cross-legged.
aluminum socket made
directly on stump
offset knee joint for
complete squatting
steel pipe
soft foam and
stockinette cover
Jaipur foot
Disabled village Children