We were delighted to host Emmy Award winning reporter David Springer when he crafted his two part story on Dale Feste, the first civilian in the U.S. to receive the most advanced prosthetic hand currently available, the Michelangelo Hand by Otto Bock. It aired in two parts this week on KAAL...

Dale is the first civilian in the United States to receive the ultra high-tech Michelangelo Hand by Otto Bock. He tested a protoype of the hand last summer and was fit with his very own Michelangelo Hand in Rochester on December 16, 2011. An active and practical man, Dale spent the last five...

Join us for our Open House at the Silhouette Shoppe in Mankato on Wednesday, May 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stop in to try on our latest breast forms and bras at our special Spring Fitting Event! ABC Breast Care Specialist Christine Vaala will be available for private fittings and consultations....

Ever tried scaling a vertical wall using your hands and feet to grasp little ledges and outcroppings of rock? Imagine yourself 100 feet above the ground on a red rock cliff face in Nevada. Fast forward to a sheet of ice cascading down a rock wall in northern Minnesota. Got the picture? Clint...

The Mankato Silhouette Shoppe attended the Relay for Life Goes Hollywood event at Minnesota State University Mankato last Saturday.  This was the 8th Annual MNSU Colleges Against Cancer & American Cancer Society event. The Mankato event hosted 42 teams with more than 300 participants. So...

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas is a popular tourism slogan for the city that never sleeps, but we went to Vegas to share! On March 4-7 Certified Mastectomy Fitters Denise Southwick and Linda Frana and Regional Director Darren Overton traveled to Las Vegas to attend the 2012 Power...

B.J. Ganem truly understands the people he helps. A former marine, he lost his leg in the Iraq war. As the Dane County, Wisc., Veterans Service Officer he aids veterans in the sometimes difficult transition back into civilian life. His office provides information, education and assistance with...

From the track to the big screen…. Snocross, motocross, wakeboarding and snowboarding--Mike Schultz is a born competitor. When he lost his leg in a snocross accident, he turned that drive into designing a prosthetic leg that would take him where he needed to go. Thus was born the Moto...

Dale Feste, the first civilian to receive Otto Bock’s Michelangelo Hand, was the subject of Biloine Young’s February 29 feature article in Orthopedics This Week.  Although the device won’t be officially launched until May, Dale has been acting as a test subject for Otto...

“Stroke Survivor: A Story of Hope” is the product of authors Rosella and Don Kvernen of Rochester. Twenty-one years ago Don suffered a major stroke. A 40-year-old practicing psychologist, Don was left unable to read or count, and paralyzed on half his body. His recovery has been a...

The Lair’s Shoes Fabulous FiveFingers Team braved the coldest temps of the year to take part in the 11th annual Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday, February 11. More than 1,000 individuals took the plunge at Rochester’s Foster Arend Park to raise over $218,000 for Special...

Watch this heartwarming video with spunky nonagenarian Juanita! At 92, she loves life and climbs stairs better than many people with all-original body parts. She has a special place in her heart for her prosthetist, whom she refers to as “My Sara.” We think you rock,...

Veteran journalist Biloine Young recently paid a visit to our company. She drove four hours round trip through a winter storm to interview founders Mike Gozola and Steve Amundson and tour our 21,000 square foot facility in Rochester, Minnesota. Her story can be found in Orthopedics This Week,...

Denise Southwick, CFm and manager of the Mankato Silhouette Shoppe, has always put her clients first.  Now, thinking beyond their mastectomy needs, she has created an event that seeks to treat patients, families and caregivers to information,  entertainment and empowerment. By reaching out...

Join us for an evening of entertainment, education and empowerment! The Silhouette Shoppe is proud to sponsor its first annual “Journey of Healing” on Wednesday, February 8 from 5:30 to 8 pm at the Madison East Center in Mankato, Minn. Our goal is to provide strength and support...

  In the Spirit of the Season, we wish you a New Year of Health, Happiness and Prosperity. From all of us at Prosthetic Laboratories, Lair’s Shoes and the Silhouette...

Local high school hockey coach Dan Maidl was afraid his coaching career was over when he lost his leg last April due to complications of diabetes. He credits CP Kenny Bruggeman of Prosthetic Laboratories and his physical therapist Steve Bogard for getting him back on the ice. Dan said they...

Monster Mike Schultz demonstrates his Moto Knee in multiple activities.  The helmet-cam motocross portion may have you reaching for your chair…

Are you a physician? Do you ever wish you had a simple and complete prosthetic and orthotic desk reference? Imagine being able to hand your patient an illustrated description of the device you have prescribed for them…. The fully illustrated Prosthetic Laboratories Desk Reference makes...

The official 2012 Prosthetic Laboratories Calendar is now available! This beautiful full-color calendar features our friends and neighbors participating in their regular activities.  Life may require some assembly, but that doesn’t stop these people from participating fully in the...

The Amputee Coalition recently sent out this notice: Clinic Recycles Used Prosthetic Components for Running Legs Prosthetics for Life needs your help! Do you have any used prosthetic components for running legs? Young athletes in Ibarra, Ecuador want to participate in a 5K and 10K run and need...

People aren’t the only beings to suffer limb loss.  Experts at the Cambodian School of Prosthetics and Orthotics found themselves working on a giant patient when they were asked to assist a baby elephant rescued by Wildlife Alliance. They devised a prosthetic foot for Chhouk, who was...

Once again Prosthetic Laboratories was proud to participate in the Rochester area STEM Summit held Thursday, November 3. The STEM Summit highlights careers that involve science, technology, engineering and math skills through hands-on, interactive exhibits by businesses promoting these...

Check out this video of Mike Schultz racing motocross.  

On October 15 the Silhouette Shoppe proudly fielded a team in the Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Rochester, MN. We are proud to report that the Fitters helped raise nearly $600 for cancer research. Pictured here, left to right, are Todd Ferry, Kimberlie Joy, Nicole Dernbach, Barbara...

Last April Luke and Bryn traveled from Wisconsin to sunny southern California for the US Paralympic Development Camp. They spent several days at the official Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista where they worked alongside other amputee athletes to improve their competitive...

Our La Crosse Silhouette Shoppe has relocated to Onalaska! The new address is 831 Critter Court, Suite 300. The new phone number is 608-781-4565, or you can call toll free: 866-280-2645. An Open House for the new Onalaska location was held on September 29. Pictured below are Christine Vaala...

We are inviting you to participate in a very special opportunity at our office in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. On Wednesday, December 7,  and Thursday, December 8, we will be hosting an Amputee Patient Care Clinic led by a team of Prosthetic Laboratories ABC certified practitioners. They will...

Bilateral amputee Aimee Mullins has actively worked to challenge the public perception of disability.  Being differently abled has allowed her to advance new ideas about beauty, art, power, and function. This actress and world record setting athlete has used runway shows, photo shoots, and...

Losing an arm is traumatic in terms of function and sensation. In this October 2011 TED talk, physiatrist and engineer Todd Kuiken explains a prosthetic arm that connects to the user’s nervous system, allowing for vastly improved motor skills and intuitive control. Rather than learning...

Just as necessity is the mother of invention, Mike Schultz is the creator of the MOTO Knee, a prosthetic knee joint like no other. When extreme athlete Mike Schultz lost his leg in December 2008, he found nothing on the market could adequately reproduce the strength, agility and durability he...

Once again this year, Prosthetic Laboratories was a proud sponsor of the Wisconsin Amputee Golf Association’s Annual Badgerland Amputee Golf Outing. A full gallery of photographs is available on the Prosthetic Laboratories, Inc. fan page at...

Purchase Tulips to Honor Breast Cancer Survivors and Support Cancer Research. The Silhouette Shoppe is honoring the 3,000 Minnesota women diagnosed with breast cancer every year by bringing the Plant It Pink campaign to Rochester and Mankato. For a twenty dollar donation, you’ll receive ten...

Congratulations to Linda Frana and Denise Southwick, certified mastectomy fitting professionals in our Silhouette Shoppe division! They were recently honored by the JOBST Company for outstanding performance. They each received two Awards of Excellence and Precision for outstanding Accuracy and...

Scott Richards, manager of the Prosthetic Laboratories office in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, was featured last Wednesday in the Stevens Point Journal. Richards, a prosthetist and orthotist who covers a large territory in central Wisconsin, has a special relationship to his clients–Richards...

Clint may be missing his right arm, but he doesn’t let that slow him down. We’ve posted a new video to YouTube showing how effortlessly he scales a wall. You can read more about Clint in Issue 3 of our Online Newsletter available at...

Madison CP Chad Bieri joined thousands last July in the Wisconsin debut of the Tough Mudder–an extreme athletic endurance event with its sights set on replacing Ironman as the preeminent brand in endurance sports. The 10 mile course included 28 obstacles (ski hills, mud, barbed wire, 12...

Retired Marine Sergeant B.J. Ganem has been named Veterans Service Officer for Dane County, Wisconsin. Ganem served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 and is a recipient of the Purple Heart. Watch the video on WKOW Channel 27 at...

Legendary biker Dave Zien was lucky to survive a horrendous motorcycle crash in Florida last March. Despite severe injuries and losing his left leg he hasn’t lost any of his zest for life. The 61-year-old former Wisconsin lawmaker recently received a new three-wheeled Harley and has hit...

Last spring college student Hunter Bork had a goal: qualify for the Paralympic National Championships in Florida. Two weeks ago Hunter realized his dream by traveling to Florida and competing in three national championship events–the 100 meter dash, the long jump and high jump. When the...

Mike Schultz will compete this weekend in the National Wakeboarding Championships held in Minneapolis. He was featured on the local CBS news 6 pm broadcast July 27. You can watch the news footage at this...

Mike Schultz just returned from a ten day visit to our American troops overseas. He explains the trip in his own words:   Hello everyone, I just returned from one of the best trips I’ve ever had.  This was put together by Rob Powers and the American300 organization and was called the...

St Olaf college student Adam Starr began training in gymnastics at the age of 3. In high school he switched to diving and earned All-American honors by the time he graduated. His dream to continue diving in college was cut short when he lost his leg to cancer in 2009. Adam recently filmed his...

On June 15 Lair’s Shoes and MBT Shoes hosted a charity event for Soles4Souls in downtown Rochester. The winner of the iPad drawing was Mary Morrison. She is pictured here on the right, receiving her prize from Lair’s Shoes Manager, Karolyn Wangen. Congratulations, Mary!

Lucas West is a 12 year-old cancer survivor who has taken his Make-A-Wish opportunity and turned it into a business venture.  Three years ago Lucas was diagnosed with bone cancer. After months of chemotherapy at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul and rotationplasty surgery at the Mayo...

We recently received this note from Mike Schultz, who continues to pile up gold medals. 6/15/11 “2011 has started out even better than last year!  At the end of January I won my second Winter X Games Gold in the Adaptive Snocross class and over memorial weekend I finally got that...

Americans love their lawns and the lawn care season is in full swing. The Amputee Coalition of America has issued a timely warning about using lawn mowers around children. For children under the age of 10, lawn mower accidents are the leading cause of major amputations. Please follow the link...

Janet has a modified hemipelvectomy prosthesis. This video that she has posted to youtube shows her walking on the very first day she received her prosthesis. This video shows Janet four months later using only her prosthesis and a cane. It’s pretty...

Brenda has waited almost three years for Oscar. She is the lucky survivor of a rare disease, and Oscar is her ticket to regaining her active lifestyle. Read all about Brenda in the online edition of the Storm Lake Pilot Tribune. “My amputation is not who I am, but it has become part of...

Hunter Bork’s hard work and perseverance have paid off. He has qualified to compete in the U.S. Paralympic National Championship games in Florida next month. Congratulations and Good Luck, Hunter! Read all the details at Keloland...

Caregivers play an often silent and overlooked role in the successful rehabilitation of people living with severe illness or injury. Sara Schultz, the wife of professional Motocross and Snocross racer Monster Mike Schultz, recently shared her experience as a caregiver following Mike’s...

The Silhouette Shoppe division of Prosthetic Laboratories specializes in helping clients regain their self-image after breast cancer.  A beautiful, properly fitting bra can go a long way toward restoring  a woman’s pre-surgical appearance.  Our fitters are certified by the American...

Two million Americans are living with limb loss. April is the first National Limb Loss Awareness Month. The Amputee Coalition of America is celebrating it’s 25th year of service to people with limb loss. They have developed a website dedicated to limb loss education and prevention. Go...

Dakota Wesleyan University sophomore Hunter Bork runs competitively on the university track team. His goal– qualify for nationals in the Paralympics.  His experience with bone cancer has him pursuing a career as a children’s counselor in a cancer center.  Hunter’s great...

Mike Schultz shares some of the highlights of his return to competitive racing. Mike and Sara Schultz trace their journey from his frightening accident in December 2008 to his preparations to return to competitive...

Some athletes are born to succeed--no matter what challenges they are given. All successful athletes have spirit, determination, and talent. Earning an NCAA National Wrestling title is a remarkable accomplishment. We salute Anthony Robles for wrestling to the top in the 125 lb weight ...

On Sunday, February 13, several dozen walkers from Prosthetic Laboratories laced up their sneakers to fight breast cancer. They were part of the Silhouette Shoppe team that walked 2 miles or ran 5k in the annual Lace Up Against Breast Cancer walk held in Rochester. The frigid winter...

Each year more than 30,000 people attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. About half of those people make it all the way to the summit. This journal briefly describes the experience of Mindy and her climb as an above-knee amputee in August 2010. On the morning of July 27...

Last summer Mindy tackled something most people only dream of--climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Watch this video to hear Mindy explain the challenges she faced as an above-knee amputee on this arduous journey.

Prosthetic Laboratories was featured in the February 9 issue of the Post-Bulletin special section, “A Spirit for Growth: Our Annual Look at Southeastern Minnesota’s Progress. The process of creating artificial limbs and braces requires both high tech training and craftsmanship,...

On Saturday, February 5, Ryan Suchanek set the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Wheelie on Ice! That’s right. On ice. At 95 mph. On one wheel. On a frozen lake. For those of you who haven’t experienced life in the frozen north--ice on a lake is not like the ice on a...

Monster Mike Schultz wins back to back Gold Medals in the ESPN Winter X Games! Mike easily won another gold medal in the Adaptive SnoCross race in Aspen, Colorado, on Sunday, January 30.  He now holds the only two Gold Medals ever awarded in the event. During Sunday’s race, the announcer...