In 1912, the first aluminum prosthetic leg was introduced. English aviator Marcel Desoutter lost his leg in an airplane accident and invented the first aluminum prosthesis with the help of his brother. In the ensuing years, the Hanger Company further refined the material by issuing legs made from Dural, a lightweight alloy of aluminum, copper and magnesium.

In 1989, J. E. Hanger, Inc. of Washington, D.C., was purchased by Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. and became part of their wholly owned subsidiary, Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics.