Johannes Kamps traveled to the Paralympics in Paris last summer to find inspiration. He wanted to see people with prosthetic legs running, cycling and swimming. Kamps, whose lower leg had to be amputated after a car accident in December 2023, wants that too. But unlike many of the more than 4,000 athletes who made it to Paris, he still lacks the tools to do so.
Kamps, 25, received a so-called microprocessor-controlled everyday prosthesis from his health insurance company in order to be able to carry out his everyday life, such as his office job, as before the accident. The prosthesis cost around 78,000 euros. Nevertheless, it was financed more or less without any problems, he says. This is not so easy with a sports prosthesis.
Kamps was able to start strength training again just a few months after the accident. But playing soccer, skating or training for a triathlon is not possible with his everyday prosthesis. However, these are the sports he enjoyed doing before the accident. That’s why he wanted to organize a sports prosthesis as quickly as possible: “But that was extremely difficult. Firstly, you never really knew when you had enough rehab, when the stump had healed sufficiently. And then you didn’t even know what kind of process you were going to face.”
It is a process that he describes as complicated and nerve-wracking and in which he lacks support. Kamps says: “As an amputee, you somehow fall through the cracks.”
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In order to understand this process, you first have to be able to understand why everyday prostheses, including everyday wheelchairs, generally do not meet the requirements for sports. Kamps, who has at least been able to try out a sports prosthesis, compares the curved running prosthesis to the function of an Achilles tendon, “which takes the power from your forefoot at the right moment and then doesn’t hit your pelvis so badly.” A faster pace can only be sustained for ten to 20 steps with the everyday prosthesis. “And that’s why you need this feather,” he says.
A sports prosthesis with a carbon spring costs 10,000 to 25,000 euros
This spring means a carbon spring base that gives a running prosthesis the dynamics, but of course is not cheap. A sports prosthesis can cost around 10,000 to 25,000 euros. That’s why financing from a provider is necessary for most people.
Like many other people, Kamps has submitted the financing of his sports prosthesis to the health insurance company. For him it was even three, because he wanted to continue his triathlon training from before the accident – and needed a different prosthesis for all three disciplines. He has not yet received any final feedback regarding the wheel prosthesis. The bathing prosthesis was financed after an initial objection, but the walking prosthesis was rejected. The health insurance companies justify this by saying that their benefits are only limited to medical rehabilitation. This does not include sport – unless it involves rehabilitation sports and school sports for children and young people up to the age of 18. Then sport is considered a basic need.
This is contradicted by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which stipulates the right to equal access to sport People with disabilities are emphasized. The Federal Participation Act is also intended to improve participation and self-determination. The World Health Organization recommends being active for at least 150 to 300 minutes per week. Nevertheless, according to the federal government’s latest participation report, 55 percent of people with disabilities in Germany never do sports. In addition to individual hurdles, the lack of sports aids can also be a reason for this.
In the event of an accident at work, different responsibilities apply
People who have become disabled as a result of an accident at work usually receive sports aids financed by their professional association or accident insurance fund, as this also wants to support social participation as part of rehabilitation: “Sport and exercise are the optimal means for this,” says Deutsche Statutory accident insurance, a cooperation partner of the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS). Kamps is also still in discussions with his liability insurance: “They are definitely responsible for paying for such a sports prosthesis. But they also say that you should first try the conventional insurance providers.”
If the health insurance company refuses, there is another option: applying to an integration assistance provider. However, an application must first be submitted to the health insurance company, which in turn is responsible for referring the applicant to integration assistance if the application is rejected. This is regulated by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But that didn’t happen to him, says Kamps.
In addition, there is a patchwork in the area of integration assistance, says Frank Ullrich (SPD), the chairman of the sports committee in the German Bundestag, “who is responsible for integration assistance is regulated differently depending on the federal state. Extrapolated, we would have 400 different contact persons for 294 districts and 106 independent cities.” Ullrich says that the education of those affected on this topic must also be improved.
Paralympic champion Heinrich Popow has developed a rental model for sports prostheses
An idea from the medical technology company Ottobock was also presented to the sports committee to make access to sports prostheses easier: a rental model for sports prostheses called “mysportbox”, initiated by two-time Paralympics winner Heinrich Popow. “It was my dream to make sport more accessible,” says the 41-year-old, who himself suffered from a lack of sports opportunities after his amputation as a child. Today he wants to ensure that sport doesn’t fail because of money even after school: “The desire for an active lifestyle doesn’t stop at the age of 18,” he says. With “mysportbox” users can rent prostheses for a monthly fee. The model, which, according to Popow, does not make any profit, should encourage payers to rethink.
Until that happens, Johannes Kamps is determined to follow the complicated path to make his dream of triathlon come true. Thanks to private contacts, he occasionally has access to an old sports prosthesis and was therefore able to run properly again after a long time. “It felt great,” he says.
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