Amputation is strongly related to the field of prosthetics. It is after amputation that the patient is advised to wear a prosthesis if he wants to continue a normal life. A person who wears a prosthesis is called an ‘amputee’.
If you are a friend or a family relative of an amputee and want to dig deeper into how your loved one ended up wearing a prosthesis, this blog can answer all your prosthetics and amputation-related queries. This article is extremely helpful if your loved one is going to go under the process of amputation soon.
What Is Amputation?
An amputation is basically a process that involves surgical removal of a body part such as an arm, limb or leg.
Why Amputation Might Be Needed?
Amputation might be needed immediately if:
· A person has an uncurable severe infection in his limb, leg or arm.
· A person’s limb has been affected by the arterial disease, gangrene.
· The person has suffered a serious physical trauma such as an injury or a wound.
· The person has a deformed limb or arm, limiting his physical movements.
Assessment Before Amputation Surgery
There isn’t only one type of amputation surgery. Your body and suffering conditions would be fully assessed before the surgeons could determine the best type of amputation surgery for you. undergoing suitable surgery is an important factor for speedy recovery and rehabilitation.
The assessment usually includes medical and physical examination such as your bladder and bowel function, nutritional status, cardiovascular function and your respiratory system.
Moreover, the practitioner would also check if the healthy limb is strong enough to bear extra strain or not.
The whole assessment also includes a psychological assessment where the psychiatrist would determine if you would be able to bear the emotional impact of the amputation or not.
After your surgery, you would also be introduced to a physiotherapist for all your post-operative needs.
During the recovery time, your prosthetist would suggest you the most suitable prosthesis that would be suitable for your needs. It is best to take advice from your doctor when it comes to choosing prosthesis according to its function, type, and needs.
Recovering After an Amputation
Recovering after an amputation is a difficult and painful process. However, your physiotherapist would be there to take post-operative care of you. He would teach you some exercises to prevent blood clotting to improve your blood circulation and supply.
Prosthetic Wear
After full recovery from the surgery, you might be able to fit a prosthesis in the intact limb, leg or arm.
Immediate wear of prosthesis is not suitable for everyone out there because a lot of physiotherapies is required to heal after amputation.
While prosthesis gives you a chance to lead a normal life once again, adjusting to wearing it takes a considerable amount of time and energy as nothing can compensate for the loss of the bone and the muscles.
People who are diagnosed with any heart disease are not recommended to put on a prosthesis.
While some people can bear the extra strain due to prosthetic wear, others cannot. That is why cosmetic wear is often recommended to some patients. Cosmetic wear looks just like a real body part except it cannot function like a prosthesis.
There might be a possibility to have a prosthesis that’s functional and physically realistic as well. But there might also be an element of compromise on its type.
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