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Below knee amputee rehabilitation training fins


Elle’, a below knee amputee, really benefits from shinfinTM fins for her rehabilitation, pool training and open water ocean swimming. They give her a smooth, level, relaxed and balanced stroke. What’s more, all without strain or calf cramps. She uses them for freestyle and backstroke, with and without a kickboard. The fin on her stump feels like a foot to her, because it gives a full workout of her amputated leg. Thus she fully strengthens her legs, stomach and back muscles. Not only for her swimming, but also for stronger walking with her prosthesis. Elle’ kindly shares her detailed story below, with photos and videos, so other amputees will benefit from shinfinTM fins too.

Elle’s review from San Clemente, USA

“Both legs are kicking evenly and my amputated leg is getting the full benefits of the workout. No more calf cramps. I found it felt like I have a foot. I am very aware of both legs working fully, rather than relying more on the remaining foot. I’m able to relax into my stroke, which is balanced, even and smooth. Enables me to completely engage my residual limb without stress or strain. And in turn build strength needed for wearing a prosthesis.”

“The open water swimming in the past days has been wonderful! I did not have rehabilitation after my amputation and swimming with the shinfinTM fins has been the best thing I could have ever found! I can feel my stomach and back work equally now. And I find my body position is much easier to keep level in the water.”

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Below knee transtibial amputation fins


Brian has a below knee (transtibial) amputation and shinfinTM fins have worked great for his fitness swimming for many years. He wears one fin in the standard position on his full leg and the other fin on the thigh of his amputated leg (similarly to an above knee amputee). However, please note that most transtibial amputees fit the fin below their knee, if their stump is long enough, because the knee joint improves control of the fin. So the fins give him balanced propulsion and help keep his legs horizontal. They also strengthen his thighs and lower back. Most importantly, this strengthening also helps his walking with a prosthesis. As a prosthetist, Brian has recommended them to many of his patients over the years, as an invaluable aid for transtibial amputees.

Brian’s review from Victoria, Canada

“They work great! I got them for fitness training when I was on the Canadian Paralympic Sailing Team. We swim for an hour, three times a week. I use them for freestyle, backstroke, flutter board and breaststroke; I do the breaststroke with a flutter kick. The shinfinTM fins provide propulsion on my amputated side. They also help to get my legs horizontal in the water. Plus provide resistance to strengthen my thighs and low back. Which helps the biomechanics of walking with a prosthesis. shinfinTM fins are an invaluable aid for transtibial amputees. Keep up the good work!”

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No Achilles pain or calf cramps: swim training fins


Kate loves using her shinfinTM fins for swim training, even more because they avoid the Achilles pain and calf cramps caused by conventional fins. She enjoys them for full stroke freestyle and backstroke and also for kick exercise drills, with and without a kickboard. They give her many swim training benefits, with comfort too.

Kate’s review from Perth, Australia

“I love using them. Overall, I’m really happy with the fins and I get asked about them every time I swim! I use the fins for full stroke freestyle and backstroke. And for drills, with and without a kickboard. I have a chronic Achilles problem and was getting very frustrated with my swim training as conventional fins were out of the question. Just one kick and my calf would cramp up.”

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After knee replacement: less back & knee pain fins


shinfinTM fins help Nelly rehabilitate after knee replacement surgery, by strengthening her muscles below her waist, with less knee pain and less back pain. This is because they encourage a streamlined kick with smooth delivery of power from her thighs and torso, with only a little knee-bend. She uses them to swim freestyle (front crawl) and backstroke (back crawl).

Nelly’s review from Langenselbold, Germany

 “After knee replacement surgery, I would like to strengthen my muscles below the waist, especially the legs, so that I can walk longer and improve my swimming style (front crawl and back crawl). Since the operation, I can no longer do any twisting moves with my left leg when swimming.”

3 months later. “I am doing well with my fins and they have helped to strengthen the muscles below my waist. I am experiencing less pain in the back and the knees – problem areas up to now. Certainly I can confirm what your other customers have been saying.”

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Proper stroke & breathing & position: triathlon training fins


Triathlon training with shinfinTM fins streamlines Charles’ body position, balances his breathing, lengthens his stroke and properly uses the larger muscles in his glutes. This all happens because shinfinTM fins lift his body more horizontal, train more powerful kicking from his hips and give him correct freestyle timing. Most importantly, this transfers to give him a faster, smoother and more efficient freestyle technique.

Charles’ review from Queens, USA

“In a nutshell, I luv em! My shinfinTM fins recruit the larger muscle groups in my glutes. So I am now using less energy for the same amount of distance. They assist me in developing a feel for proper body position in the water. I was able to stretch out and really get a feel of my stroke. So I could definitely feel a better balance as far as my breathing goes. Which in turn encourages me to lengthen my stroke. WAY COOL! I am definitely improving. I was able to keep proper form for a longer period of time. Thanks for such an innovative product.”

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Streamlined body & stronger kick: competitive Masters fins


Two main benefits that shinfinTM fins give Paraic, are a more streamlined body position and a more efficient stronger kick. Most importantly, these benefits transfer to give him a better swim style without fins too. So he uses them for his Masters swimming training and swim technique improvement. He also bought a second pair for another Masters swimmer.

Paraic’s review from Portmarnock, Ireland

“I’m using them for competitive Masters swimming. I find my body position has improved significantly when swimming freestyle! Giving a more streamlined position, when I take off the fins I feel my leg kick is stronger and more efficient.”

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Better crawl stroke: swim learning fins


Evelyn’s shinfinTM fins help her learn to swim, especially with a better front crawl stroke. In particular, wearing them enables her to focus her attention on improving her stroke and breathing. Furthermore, after she uses her fins for the first half of her workout, she notices her stroke improvements transfer to her no-fins crawl stroke too. Most importantly, she finds them comfortable with no foot cramps, unlike regular foot fins.

Evelyn’s review from Santa Cruz, USA

“I am a very satisfied customer. I just learned to swim the crawl stroke with my face in the water. The fins have helped me a lot. Using them, I have been able to pay more attention to and improve my stroke. The best part – NO FOOT CRAMPS! Buying them was a spot-on decision, and I am going great with them.”

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Improve fin-free swim technique


By swimming with shinfinTM fins, Matt has improved his fin-free kick technique too. So the fins corrected his kick technique and that transferred to him swimming faster without fins as well. He was so happy with them that he bought a pair for his 81 year old grandfather.

Matt’s review from Tannum Sands, Australia

“The fins are fantastic. They have encouraged me to kick correctly. I’ve found my ‘fin-free’ technique has improved to a considerable extent. Either that or they’ve shortened the pool! Great idea, great product – Cheers!”

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Swim technique fins for all ages


Ralph uses shinfinTM fins to improve the swimming technique of his grandchildren of all ages, for freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. The fins encourage them to activate their stronger muscles by kicking from their hips with straighter knees, and build up their stamina and muscle memory.

Ralph’s review from Delran, USA

“I have found that shinfinTM fins are a positive alternative to promoting a more anatomical utilization of the muscles for freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. Just swim freestyle across the pool and feel the fins aid in your leg motions. The fins encourage the muscles of the upper leg, gluteus, lower back and abs to rhythmically move the legs. Presto! That was fun, easy and fast. Your legs do get tired as they react to the exercise and build muscle but it’s more advantageous to practice something technically more correct than perfecting self-defeating inappropriate muscle memory.”

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Swimming with fins after amputation


Swimming with shinfinTM fins was one of Bill’s first steps in his return to physical and emotional health, after his above knee amputation. Wearing one fin on his thigh stump and one fin on the shin of his other leg, they give him a natural swim kick with smooth stroke balance. He prefers wearing the fins without his prosthetic leg but they can be worn on a prosthetic leg too. He also notes that they can be worn by below knee amputees (also foot amputees). Bill’s expanded story is Stuff you need to know before or after leg amputation.

Bill’s review from O’Fallon, USA

“shinfinTM fins are the perfect choice for amputees because they attach to your legs instead of your feet. This provides many benefits such as a natural swim kick.”

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