Oleksii Kolesnichenko is a physical therapist, mentor, and a person who understands his patients not only professionally but also on a personal level. He works with service members after severe injuries, helps them adapt to prosthetics, guides their training, and teaches safe movement techniques.
Experience you won’t learn at any university
Oleksii lives with bilateral lower-limb amputations: his left leg was amputated in 2018, and his right in 2022. His own challenging journey became the foundation of his current profession. He joined TYTANOVI REHAB about half a year ago, realizing that the experience he gained through years of using prosthetics could truly help others.
Despite not having formal medical education, Oleksii possesses a unique kind of expertise — practical knowledge gained through his own challenges and mistakes. He previously worked at the company where he received his prosthetics, even though his original profession was in finance. However, he has always valued principles over hierarchy: he refused to issue a prosthesis to a patient who had severe skin irritation, and as a result, was dismissed from his job. Today, he smiles and says he’s grateful for that moment — it led him to the people with whom he can truly change lives.
After leaving his previous job, he reached out to Viacheslav Zaporozhets with an offer to join TYTANOVI REHAB. The very next day, he started working and began helping new patients.
Working with Veterans: From the First Steps to Full Recovery
Oleksii’s main task is to teach a person who is standing on prosthetics for the first time how to move correctly, understand their body, and take proper care of both the residual limb and the prosthetic mechanisms. He emphasizes that incorrect habits formed while walking on crutches often carry over into prosthetic use — people start shifting their center of gravity, collapsing the knee inward, or walking asymmetrically.
“I want our guys to avoid the painful experience I went through. No one taught me. I had to learn everything on my own — through pain, skin irritation, and mistakes,” he says.
Osseointegration: Key Features and Advantages
In addition to traditional prosthetics, Oleksii works with patients who have undergone osseointegration — a procedure in which a titanium implant is inserted directly into the bone, allowing a bionic leg to attach securely to it. This method provides significantly better range of motion and greater comfort, but it also requires a strict and carefully followed rehabilitation protocol.
At first, the patient uses a short temporary prosthesis known as a “stabis.” The load increases gradually: 10 kg, 20 kg, and then more each time. Only after reaching 50% of their body weight are they allowed to stand on a full prosthesis and take their first steps.
The main challenge is not technical — it’s psychological
According to Oleksii, the hardest part of rehabilitation is overcoming human laziness and the expectation of quick results.
“We often want everything at once: you put on a prosthesis and expect to walk like before. But it’s a difficult journey. Pain, discomfort, uncertainty — all of that is normal. The problem begins when you give up.”
He often shows patients his own skin irritations or pressure marks to help them understand: he’s not just a therapist — he is someone who faces the same challenges every single day.
How society views people with amputations
Before the full-scale invasion, Oleksii was often met with judgment or misunderstanding. People mistook him for someone with addiction issues or someone “responsible” for losing his limbs. After 2022, society has become far more empathetic, yet reactions still vary.
“Adults often don’t know how to react. But children are the most honest. They ask directly: ‘Why don’t you have legs?’ — and I gladly answer. To reduce fear, I even attach small toys to my prosthetics.”
Oleksii Kolesnichenko is convinced that a perfect prosthesis doesn’t exist. There are only different solutions — each with its strengths and limitations. What truly matters is the desire to move forward.
“I understand every patient because I’m walking this path with them. And I know this: you can live actively, run, do sports. All you need is determination, support, and the right approach.”
