Information For Amputees
Losing a body part can significantly impact a person’s ability to carry out everyday tasks. To enhance the chances of a successful prosthetic fitting, it’s crucial to focus on fall prevention, muscle strengthening, and reducing swelling. Connecting with a prosthetist at this stage allows you to start discussing your goals and the type of prosthesis that will best suit your needs.
Prosthetic rehabilitation is a multifaceted process that benefits from collaboration with an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team. Your physiotherapist will provide guidance on pre-fitting physiotherapy, which includes exercises to strengthen muscles, improve bed mobility, and facilitate transfers, as well as stump/residuum management. Our team will also offer support for managing phantom limb sensations and pain, along with assistance in using a compression garment or shrinker, which can be highly effective in alleviating phantom pain and shaping your residual limb.
Muscles strengthening
Post an amputation surgery, it is important for a patient to focus on stretching and fortifying the residual limb. To prevent muscle shortening and joint stiffness, a patient should ensure that the residual limb remains strong and flexible for prosthesis use. An expert physical therapist will instruct you in lower body strengthening exercises, which you may start before or after surgery and will guide you to continue these exercises at home, adhering closely for the best results.
Bed mobility and transfers
Following your amputation, you will receive instruction on safe bed mobility and transfers involving learning how to move between two surfaces, such as a bed and a wheelchair, in a secure manner. Mastering these techniques is vital to prevent falls and safeguard the healing wound. The specific transfer method that we adopt will be determined by a patient’s overall health and strength. Two common transfer techniques may become acquainted with slide board transfers and pivot transfers, with detailed guidance provided by the physiotherapist.
Bed mobility and transfers
Following your amputation, you will receive instruction on safe bed mobility and transfers involving learning how to move between two surfaces, such as a bed and a wheelchair, in a secure manner. Mastering these techniques is vital to prevent falls and safeguard the healing wound. The specific transfer method that we adopt will be determined by a patient’s overall health and strength. Two common transfer techniques may become acquainted with slide board transfers and pivot transfers, with detailed guidance provided by the physiotherapist.
Stump Bandaging
Bandaging plays a crucial role in the initial healing stage following amputation. It helps in supporting the soft tissues during healing and it also supports a phase where the vascular system’s efficiency is compromised, leading to fluid accumulation in the stump. Walking with the stump in a dependent position can exacerbate this swelling. Therefore, external support is essential to alleviate swelling and shape the residual limb appropriately for prosthesis use. Initially, a therapist or nurse will be responsible for wrapping the patient’s stump, but later, the patient can learn to do it independently or with the assistance of a family member. To facilitate this process, we provide demonstrations on how to correctly apply the bandages to the stump.
Prosthetic fitting and training
Prosthetic fitting and training
Once a patient’s sutures have fully healed, and their muscles have regained strength, a prosthetist will conduct an evaluation, delving into their pre-amputation activities and future goals. The insights gathered by the prosthetist will serve as the foundation for designing a prosthesis tailored to their specific needs. A precise prosthetic fit is crucial for achieving objectives and resuming daily routines. To ensure an intimate socket fit, the stump will be hand-casted to capture the exact shape of a patient’s residual limb. Before the final prosthesis is delivered, multiple fittings in a diagnostic socket will take place. This diagnostic test socket is used to confirm the perfect fit, allowing a person to walk with it aligned on definitive knee/foot componentry. Throughout this phase of a prosthetic fitting, the socket fit and alignment will be meticulously adjusted using LASER alignment tools before being transferred to create the definitive prosthesis. Our dedicated prosthetists will support you in learning to walk, enhancing your mobility and control with the new prosthesis.
Below Knee Amputee Home Exercise Program