Dakota, who lives about an hour outside of Chicago with his mom, Kara and dad, Kevin, began playing football when he was five. He and his parents chose not to have him wear a prosthetic device on his below elbow limb different arm while playing the game. Dakota continued playing and had an older cousin who he looked up to. This cousin was not just into football but also weightlifting, and Dakota felt inspired to follow in his footsteps. At 12, he told his parents he would like to get into weightlifting before entering high school football. Football with a below elbow limb difference is one thing, weightlifting is another. If you don’t work out both sides of your body, you’re going to start to suffer from overuse issues.

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When he was younger, Dakota had less than stellar experiences with prostheses. He’d seen three different prosthetic care centers and had three different devices made, starting at 18 months. Kara and Kevin wanted to make sure he had every opportunity, and that he could explore his options. So, at great expense, not to mention all the driving time, they had tried to get Dakota an everyday device that would work for him. The final straw had been an activity-specific device for him to use on his dirt bike at age four. After using the device a few times, Kara asked him what he thought. He told her, “I feel like I’m holding my arm out in the middle of nowhere, trying to control this bike.” So, Kara thought, “We'll let him decide. He's old enough. He can talk to us and tell us what he needs. He's figured out everything else on his own. We just roll with it.” The devices were put away and Dakota figured it out. Until weightlifting became a goal.

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Luckily, Dakota had been attending a camp for people with limb differences called NubAbility in Southern Illinois. There, Kara had met someone with a prosthesis that looked both comfortable and functional — and he lifted weights with it. She asked him where his device was from. He said he’d gone to the Arm Dynamics center in Kansas City, KS. After a few phone calls, Kara and Dakota were set to consult with our center in Minneapolis, MN, which worked out better for them distance and scheduling-wise.

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“After all the experiences we’d had, I knew Dakota needed to see someone that was arm specific,” Kara recalled. “I need my kid to have what he wants and me not spend a ton of money for no reason. I'm going to fight for whatever my kid needs and I'm going to make sure it's the right thing. We had a lot of video calls with the team before we went up there. Dakota knew what it was he needed to succeed — he didn’t know the exact tools, but he could describe what it was he needed a prosthesis to do for him. What impressed me the most about the Arm Dynamics team was how the prosthetist was looking at Dakota, as Dakota described what he needed. Like he wasn’t just treating him like some kid who is telling him how to do his job. He was never like that. We got off that first video call feeling great.” Dakota continues, “I couldn’t believe he was listening to me. Of course, the prosthetist is the one that's making it. And they know what they're doing. But he's listening to what I'm saying and gonna do what is best for me. They’re always asking me questions about what I need and what works for me.”

Dakota received his first prosthesis from us in 2020. You can watch his patient progress video below, where Dakota, who was 12 at the time, talks about his thoughts on why he wanted a prosthesis. He was fit with a JAWS activity-specific device, a Black Iron Trainer, and a Shroom that had a custom-created hook attached, which would allow Dakota to go from a push-up to a pull-up without having to change his device.

When Dakota first received his prosthesis, he could bench press 105 pounds. But his goal was much higher. Dakota worked out every day his dad built him a little gym in a small warehouse they have on their property, and he would work out there and bring some buddies. He started high school football, and then joined the varsity team, and became team captain, all while working out at school and more at home, for around two or three hours a day.

”The lifting community is kind of like a family it’s crazy, but people who have never met me, they’ll see me using my device at the gym, and how much I can bench and squat, and they’re amazed. They’ll come over and acknowledge my hard work, because lifting is all about consistency and dedication, and it's easy to be inconsistent and undedicated, and especially with the odds being against me. And they think it’s cool that my prosthesis is just carbon fiber and plastic it’s just a simple compound that I can do some cool things with.”

Not only can Dakota do cool things with it, but it’s also done something cool for him. “Before I got my prosthesis, I had a 12-degree curve in my spine, scoliosis. After getting it, and using it to build up my left side, it went to a 2-degree curve, pretty average.” Kara added, “The doctor measured him three times, he couldn’t believe it. And that change helped us with insurance, because we could show that his prosthesis was benefitting him health-wise.”

But as time went on, what started to worry Dakota was how much weight his prosthesis could handle. “One of my favorite things about going to Arm Dynamics, it’s their focus wasn’t as much on the prosthetic as it was on what I could do. They didn’t want the device to limit me.” So, when Dakota started to wonder about the age of the device and if it was up to the weights he was lifting, it was time for a new device. In June of 2024, Kara and Dakota drove up to Minneapolis so Dakota could be fit with a TRS Black Iron Master. You can watch his most recent patient progress video below. You’re going to ask yourself, is this the same kid?! It’s impressive the difference four and half years can make.

Dakota’s prosthetist, Andy: “In general, an activity-specific prosthetic device built to help someone lift weights can lift the same amount of weight their sound limb can, if it’s fit well and in good condition. It’s important to inspect the device regularly to make sure it’s still in optimal condition. Dakota’s devices were doing okay, but he started to feel limited by them, and we didn’t want that. So, the Iron Master helps him feel more confident that it can keep up with him.” Andy continued, “I’m so glad that we’re able to highlight Dakota’s success, because it really is impressive, the work that he’s done using his prosthesis to get him from where he was when he first came in to where he is now. Knowing that it helped with his spine curvature, beyond helping him to become a leader on his football team, that’s all such an excellent progression for him.”

While at the center, Dakota participated in prosthetic rehabilitation with Becky, the occupational therapist for the Minneapolis center, focusing on weightlifting activities that involved both arms working together. Becky: “We focused on a whole body strengthening and stabilizing program, including one arm strengthening activities. He seemed to really appreciate the education on how to safely improve his maximal strength outcomes.” Becky knows that Dakota using a prosthesis, and using it correctly, is key to his weightlifting goals. “Dakota has broken all his previous weightlifting records following being fit with his new prosthesis. So impressive.”

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So how much can Dakota bench now, compared with the 105 pounds he could do at 12? “It was 345 pounds the other night,” Kara told us (update: it’s now higher since we talked, at 355). Both she and Dakota’s dad, Kevin, are so proud of him. “Being able to watch him grow through his 13th season in football now, and what will likely be his last, it’s meant so much.” Dakota plans to attend college in the fall of 2025, with plans to become a nuclear operator at a school that doesn’t have a football program. Kara: “But they do have a really nice workout area, that’s the first thing we checked out when we visited.” “I still plan to drive out of town to watch college games, when I can,” said Dakota.

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We’re so glad that even after Dakota’s negative experiences with prostheses from other prosthetic care centers, he and his family were willing give our center a chance. As upper limb experts, we know that we fulfill a niche need in society, but one that is highly valued, nonetheless. Dakota: “The thing I like best about Arm Dynamics is that when I talk to them, or go up there, I feel like it's a team effort and that me, my family and everyone there works together to get what's best for me. They are so open to ideas, and they do not mind trial and error and failure. And if it doesn't work, they won’t give up they’ll try again and try something new until they have what works for me.” Dakota continues, “Life is hard, but don't make it harder by letting something stop you or letting someone tell you that you can't do something you want to do.” Including becoming captain of your high school football team.

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We are grateful to Dakota and Kara for taking the time to walk us through Dakota’s journey with his prostheses. While his limb difference is not something Dakota spends a lot of time thinking about, he does know what tools he needs to accomplish his goals.

If you or someone you know is ready to start their own prosthetic journey, please contact us. The culture that we’ve cultivated at each of our Arm Dynamics centers means that all of our prosthetists and occupational therapists are excellent listeners and they each strive to help our patients find the best possible fit and functionality for them. If you have a comment or a message for us to pass along to Dakota, please leave it below.

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