An amputee says having his leg removed was the "best decision" after a designer created a custom prosthetic limb - so he can POLE DANCE.<br /><br />Andrew Gregory, 51, sustained permanent injuries to his left leg when he was in a motorcycle accident in his early thirties.<br /><br />Andrew lived with constant pain for 15 years due to the injuries.<br /><br />But he made the bold decision to have his leg amputated in 2018 and began using a prosthetic limb.<br /><br />He had started pole dancing a year before the amputation - and hoped he could one day do it again.<br /><br />Shortly after the procedure, a specialist company offered to make him a custom leg.<br /><br />The leg was adapted specifically to improve his pole work - and he says it as "another dimension" to what he can do.<br /><br />He wants to prove "life isn't over when you lose a limb" - and says he is proud to show off his limb.<br /><br />Andrew, a hairdresser, from central London, said: "After my accident I was in constant pain and using a walking stick.<br /><br />"Eventually I had enough of it and went for the amputation.<br /><br />"I had seen these specialist prosthetics online before having my amputation - I thought maybe one day I could have that myself.<br /><br />"I still can't believe that it actually happened - and since then, that prosthetic has opened so many doors for me.<br /><br />"There is a stigma around disability where people assume your life is limited or you're a drain on society.<br /><br />"But I want to show people the opposite - I can do things with my prosthetic on that I couldn't do before.<br /><br />"It has opened so many doors for me and feels like part of my life has started over again in a whole new way."<br /><br />Andrew was left in constant pain after a motorcycle accident in YEAR which saw his bike land on top of him.<br /><br />He had 15 surgeries to enable him to walk again but had to use a walking stick to move.<br /><br />The leg pain meant Andrew had to take four painkillers four times a day as well as wearing heel raises to aid him.<br /><br />By 2018, he found his leg had worsened and he was fed up with the pain - so made the decision to have an amputation.<br /><br />In February 2018, he went ahead with the amputation and soon started learning how to walk again using a prosthetic.<br /><br />Before to his amputation, he had cast eyes over The Alternative Limb Project - a group who make high-tech realistic prosthetic limbs.<br /><br />He said: "Leading up to my amputation I had come across the project, and I thought maybe one day I could get that.<br /><br />"So, I couldn't believe it when I got a message from the very same company after my amputation because they wanted to make one for me."<br /><br />The custom limb took six months to design and create.<br /><br />It features cutaways to have maximum skin contact with the pole, and a unique spinning element to make his performance completely unique.<br /><br />Andrew said the prosthetic allows him to do things on the pole that he couldn't even do before his amputation.<br /><br />Now, alongside hairdressing, Andrew gets booked for pole performances with his one-of-a-kind prosthetic limb at nightclubs, private parties and public events.<br /><br />Andrew now proudly shows off his moves on his Instagram @tattoo_pole_boy.<br /><br />He said: "The prosthetic has opened so many doors for me since becoming an amputee.<br /><br />"Having the amputation at the time I did was exactly the right decision for me.<br /><br />"The prosthetic makes me feel so unique when I'm on the pole - nobody else will walk on and give the same visual impact as me.<br /><br />"Thanks to the Alternative Limb Project it feels like part of my life has started over again, in a whole new way."<br /><br />Andrew said opting to have an amputation was a "very positive experience" and he has no regrets.<br /><br />He added: "There is a stigma around disability where people assume your life is limited or you're a drain on society.<br /><br />"But I want to show people the opposite.<br /><br />"I want to show people there is a way through it - your life isn't over when you lose a limb."
