English to Spanish Medical Medical: Instruments Traumathology

A prosthetic knee is basically a swinging hinge. When you walk, this hinge effect makes the foot rise up in back. This bending at the knee "shortens" the overall length of the limb so that the toes clear the ground as the leg swings forward. If the knee didn’t bend, you’d stub your toe every time. Then, as you pull your hip forward, the hinge motion swings the leg ahead so that it’s straight and doesn’t cave in when weight is applied.