Ossur
Encyclopedia
Össur is a company making non-invasive orthopaedics. It makes and sells bracing and support products, compression therapy, and prosthetics
. The company’s headquarters are in Reykjavík
, Iceland
. The company also has extensive operations in the Americas
, Europe
, and Asia
, with numerous distributors in other markets. In 2006, Ossur Asia opened its latest outpost in Shanghai
, China.
. The Kristinsson family owned the company until 1999, when it went public and was listed on the Iceland Stock Exchange
. Initially, the company served only the domestic Icelandic market, and then began to export in 1986. There was rapid expansion in the 1990s and an assertive acquisition strategy in the 2000s. Ossur has now grown from being a prosthetics workshop with a few employees to a progressive high-tech company that employs a staff of around 1,600 in 14 locations around the world.
(R&D) departments, which are located in four countries and employ a total of 76 people. In-house R&D also partners with third parties, including universities and research companies. Ossur invests significantly in research and product development. In 2007, that investment amounted to 6 percent of the company’s total sales. The same year, 22 US patents were granted to Ossur and 37 new applications filed. At the end of the year, Ossur had 218 US, 26 European, and 103 granted international patents in its portfolio, together with 119 US and 239 pending applications world.
Ossur is recognized by the World Economic Forum
as a "Technology Pioneer", which means it has been identified as a company that is developing and applying the most innovative and transformational technologies.
Technology
Platform is a part of the prosthetics market.
s, leg
s, and torso
. Products include Unloader One, a brace that provides a mechanical solution to knee pain
caused by osteoarthritis
. It separates bones when ligaments and cartilage
are damaged and also prevents further damage to the joint
. The firm also makes the CTi (formerly sold as the CTi2), a ligament
brace for knees used for both rehabilitation and for injury prevention, as well as cervical collar
s.
segment with the acquisition of the French company Gibaud. Products include bandage
s, tights
, stocking
s, knee highs
and stump socks.
and joints, liners, sockets, locks and sleeves. Its products include Flex-Foot, a high performance foot made from 100% carbon fiber
, a material used extensively in the aerospace
industry for its strength and flexibility. The Flex-Foot Cheetah worn by Oscar Pistorius
and other amputee athletes is a derivative of this product line. Ossur also produces the Total Knee prosthetic, which possesses a "locking moment" which keeps the knee
from collapsing when it is in full extension, Mauch Knee, which has a hydraulic
system for fluid and natural gait
, and Iceross silicone
prosthetic liners, which provide an interface between the skin
and the socket.
This platform focuses on restoring the anatomical function displaced by amputation
by using intelligent structures in products that can respond in a human-like way. The division's products are Rheo Knee, a microprocessor
swing and stance knee
system which utilizes artificial intelligence
, Power Knee, which works as an integrated extension of its user, synchronizing motion with that of the sound leg using motor power, and Proprio Foot, an intelligent and motor-powered foot module.
s and world record
holders Oscar Pistorius
, Sarah Reinertsen
and Rudy Garcia-Tolson
. The company has also sponsored Paralympian runner Brian Frasure, now a certified prosthetist and mentor to Oscar Pistorius, and Mike McNaughton, a Staff Sergeant
in the Louisiana Army National Guard
who lost his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan
and was subsequently awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart
.
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
. The company’s headquarters are in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. The company also has extensive operations in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, with numerous distributors in other markets. In 2006, Ossur Asia opened its latest outpost in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China.
History
Ossur was founded in Iceland in 1971 by Össur Kristinsson, a prosthetistProsthetist
A prosthetist, as defined by , is a person who measures, designs, fabricates, fits, or services a prosthesis as prescribed by a licensed physician, and who assists in the formulation of the prosthesis prescription for the replacement of external parts of the human body lost due to amputation or...
. The Kristinsson family owned the company until 1999, when it went public and was listed on the Iceland Stock Exchange
Iceland Stock Exchange
NASDAQ OMX Iceland or ICEX was established in 1985 as a joint venture of several banks and brokerage firms on the initiative of the central bank. Trading began in 1986 in Icelandic government bonds, and trading in equities began in 1990. Equities trading increased rapidly thereafter...
. Initially, the company served only the domestic Icelandic market, and then began to export in 1986. There was rapid expansion in the 1990s and an assertive acquisition strategy in the 2000s. Ossur has now grown from being a prosthetics workshop with a few employees to a progressive high-tech company that employs a staff of around 1,600 in 14 locations around the world.
Acquisitions
Since 2000, Ossur has acquired 15 companies. All except for the Gibaud Group are fully integrated.- 2000 - Skóstofan
- 2000 – Flex-Foot, Inc.
- 2000 – PI Medical AB.
- 2000 – Karlsson & Bergstrom AB.
- 2000 – Century XXII Innovations, Inc
- 2003 – Linea Orthopedics AB.
- 2003 – Generation II Group, Inc.
- 2005 – Advanced Prosthetic Components
- 2005 – Royce Medical, Inc.
- 2005 – Innovative Medical Products, Ltd.
- 2005 – GBM Medical AB.
- 2006 – Innovation Sports, Inc.
- 2006 – Gibaud Group
- 2007 – SOMAS
- 2010 - Orthopaedic Partner Africa
Research and development
Ossur operates five research and developmentResearch and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
(R&D) departments, which are located in four countries and employ a total of 76 people. In-house R&D also partners with third parties, including universities and research companies. Ossur invests significantly in research and product development. In 2007, that investment amounted to 6 percent of the company’s total sales. The same year, 22 US patents were granted to Ossur and 37 new applications filed. At the end of the year, Ossur had 218 US, 26 European, and 103 granted international patents in its portfolio, together with 119 US and 239 pending applications world.
Ossur is recognized by the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
as a "Technology Pioneer", which means it has been identified as a company that is developing and applying the most innovative and transformational technologies.
Products
Ossur operates in three markets: bracing & support, compression therapy, and prosthetics. Ossur’s BionicBionics
Bionics is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.The word bionic was coined by Jack E...
Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
Platform is a part of the prosthetics market.
Bracing and support
Ossur manufactures a range of braces and support products for armArm
In human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...
s, leg
Human leg
The human leg is the entire lower extremity or limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh and even the hip or gluteal region; however, the precise definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower limb extending from the knee to the ankle.Legs are used for standing,...
s, and torso
Torso
Trunk or torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. The trunk includes the thorax and abdomen.-Major organs:...
. Products include Unloader One, a brace that provides a mechanical solution to knee pain
Pain
Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
caused by osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a group of mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Symptoms may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and sometimes an effusion...
. It separates bones when ligaments and cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
are damaged and also prevents further damage to the joint
Joint
A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally.-Classification:...
. The firm also makes the CTi (formerly sold as the CTi2), a ligament
Ligament
In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote any of three types of structures. Most commonly, it refers to fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones and is also known as articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true ligament.Ligament can also refer to:* Peritoneal...
brace for knees used for both rehabilitation and for injury prevention, as well as cervical collar
Cervical collar
A cervical collar is an orthopedic medical device used to support a patient's neck and head. It is also used by emergency personnel for victims of traumatic head or neck injuries, and can be used to treat chronic medical conditions....
s.
Compression therapy
Ossur entered the compression therapyCold compression therapy
Cold Compression Therapy combines two of the principles of R.I.C.E. to reduce pain and swelling from a sports or activity injury to soft tissues and recommended by orthopedic surgeons following surgery...
segment with the acquisition of the French company Gibaud. Products include bandage
Bandage
A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to the body; they can also be used to restrict a part of the body. During heavy bleeding or following a poisonous bite it is important to slow the flow of blood,...
s, tights
Tights
Tights are a kind of cloth leg garment, most often sheathing the body from about the waist to the feet with a more or less tight fit, hence the name....
, stocking
Stocking
A stocking, , is a close-fitting, variously elastic garment covering the foot and lower part of the leg. Stockings vary in color, design and transparency...
s, knee highs
Knee highs
Knee highs are hosiery that covers the feet and legs up to the knee. Typically worn by women in western and other societies, they are sometimes worn with modern semi-formal dress. Unlike ordinary socks, they are generally made of nylon or other stocking materials.Knee highs became popular during...
and stump socks.
Prosthetics
Ossur manufactures prosthetic limbsLimb (anatomy)
A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body....
and joints, liners, sockets, locks and sleeves. Its products include Flex-Foot, a high performance foot made from 100% carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
, a material used extensively in the aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
industry for its strength and flexibility. The Flex-Foot Cheetah worn by Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius is a South African sprint runner. Known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs", Pistorius, who has a double amputation, is the world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events and runs with the aid of Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon fibre transtibial...
and other amputee athletes is a derivative of this product line. Ossur also produces the Total Knee prosthetic, which possesses a "locking moment" which keeps the knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
from collapsing when it is in full extension, Mauch Knee, which has a hydraulic
Hydraulics
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...
system for fluid and natural gait
Gait
Gait is the pattern of movement of the limbs of animals, including humans, during locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on speed, terrain, the need to maneuver, and energetic efficiency...
, and Iceross silicone
Silicone
Silicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....
prosthetic liners, which provide an interface between the skin
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
and the socket.
Bionic Technology Platform
This platform focuses on restoring the anatomical function displaced by amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
by using intelligent structures in products that can respond in a human-like way. The division's products are Rheo Knee, a microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
swing and stance knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
system which utilizes artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, Power Knee, which works as an integrated extension of its user, synchronizing motion with that of the sound leg using motor power, and Proprio Foot, an intelligent and motor-powered foot module.
Sponsorship
The firm's Team Ossur comprises international athletes and performers and professionals who use Ossur prosthetics. Under this program, Ossur is a major sponsor of disabled athletes, including ParalympianParalympian
A Paralympian is an athlete who has participated in the Paralympic Games.A Paralympic athlete has a physical disability. The disability can be amputation, spinal cord injuries, visual impairment or cerebral palsy. An exception is the sighted guides for athletes with a visual impairment...
s and world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
holders Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius is a South African sprint runner. Known as the "Blade Runner" and "the fastest man on no legs", Pistorius, who has a double amputation, is the world record holder in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events and runs with the aid of Cheetah Flex-Foot carbon fibre transtibial...
, Sarah Reinertsen
Sarah Reinertsen
Sarah Reinertsen is an American athlete. She was the first female leg amputee to complete the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii....
and Rudy Garcia-Tolson
Rudy Garcia-Tolson
Rudy Garcia-Tolson is an athlete on the United States Paralympic team. He competed at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing in swimming.-Biography:...
. The company has also sponsored Paralympian runner Brian Frasure, now a certified prosthetist and mentor to Oscar Pistorius, and Mike McNaughton, a Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
in the Louisiana Army National Guard
Louisiana Army National Guard
The Louisiana Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard is the only United States military force...
who lost his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and was subsequently awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
.