Rehabilitation after the leg amputation
Once the residual limb wound has healed, the rehabilitation phase as such begins a few weeks after the operation. In most cases, inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation will take up to six months. Ideally, you have chosen a specialist centre that specialises in the rehabilitation of amputees. Information on how to find the right rehabilitation facility is available here (please link to the rehabilitation facilities page in the after the amputation section).
During rehabilitation at a centre, you are cared for by a team of doctors, wound managers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and sports scientists. The therapy programme is adapted to your state of health and strength resources. You will usually have a daily physiotherapy session with gait training, and treatment sessions for occupational therapy, balneo physiotherapy (baths, massages, electrotherapy, etc.) and sports therapy. Distributed over the day with regular breaks, the treatment will take between three and four hours, with half-hour therapy sessions as a rule. The goal is for you to get back to your usual everyday life as quickly as possible. It’s important to understand that your active participation has a crucial effect on the rehabilitation results. This may also involve questioning and modifying your previous lifestyle. Your doctor or a psychologist can support you here as well. Likewise, you shouldn’t hesitate to get counselling from a psychologist or family counsellor.
Gait training with a leg prosthesis
The goal of rehabilitation is to optimally prepare you for life with your prosthesis. First, this includes regaining your strength, endurance and coordination through targeted physiotherapy. In addition, special gait training teaches you how to use your prosthesis.
The basic functioning of the knee joint also plays a major role in gait training for transfemoral amputees. For this reason, the training and education programme will ideally be tailored to the prosthetic components you are using. The programme should be aimed at relearning everyday motion sequences and explaining the functionality of your prosthesis to you.
Learn more about what gait training for leg amputees entails here.
Residual limb care
In the hospital, the nursing staff and doctors took care of your residual limb by cleaning the wound and changing the bandages or dressings. In the rehabilitation phase, you are shown how to care for your residual limb, the scar and also your sound leg yourself. Note that regular and intensive care are essential so you can wear your prosthesis without problems. There are special care products for your residual limb that you can use. Over time, you will develop a daily care routine that will be a natural part of your everyday life.
Daily care of the residual limb and prosthesis
During the rehabilitation phase, you will be shown how to properly care for your residual limb. To prevent the skin from becoming rough and scaly, you should wash the residual limb with water and mild soap in the morning and evening (e.g. Derma Clean). Then dry the skin thoroughly or carefully dab it dry and apply a cream. Derma Repair and Derma Prevent are two products from Ottobock developed especially to care for residual limbs and highly stressed skin. Derma Prevent, for example, helps prevent chafing by covering the skin like a protective film, keeping it soft and supple. Derma Prevent is usually used in combination with the liner and is therefore applied directly before putting on the prosthesis. Derma Repair alleviates the consequences of heavily stressed skin and protects it against damaging external influences. Derma Repair is generally applied in the evening after taking off the prosthesis. Note that putting on a prosthesis in the morning – immediately after washing – is often more difficult than usual, since warm water causes the skin on the residual limb to swell slightly.
In addition to caring for your residual limb, the prosthesis should also be cleaned daily. Your O&P professional will be happy to advise you. Wipe the inner socket of the prosthesis with a damp cloth to remove perspiration and skin particles. A clean contact surface to the skin helps prevent skin irritation. If you wear a liner, please care for it daily as well according to the instructions for use.
Help for residual limb problems
If wrinkles or drawn-in scars have formed on the residual limb, these require especially intensive care in order to prevent infections. Your rehabilitation team can provide you with advice. While caring for your residual limb, also look for skin injuries, pressure points and blisters. These may require medical treatment. A mirror can help you examine the back of your residual limb. Regularly massaging and gently stretching the scar is another important element of residual limb care and desensitising the sensitive skin on the residual limb.
Caring for the sound leg
After the amputation, your residual limb won’t be able to support a lot of weight. This automatically puts greater strain on the sound leg. However, it’s very important that it is healthy and intact so you can regain your mobility.
If you have circulatory disorders, regularly examine your sound leg for minor injuries as well. They could become dangerous in the event of an infection and should therefore be treated immediately by a doctor. Many affected individuals visit a trained pedicurist for foot care, such as having their toenails trimmed. Comfortable shoes with a good fit reduce the strain on your sound leg. Insoles may also be recommended. In addition to footwear, your choice of socks is important: Socks should be made of wool or cotton so they absorb perspiration well. If the cuff is too tight, it can disrupt blood circulation. Socks have to fit without wrinkles and should be worn only for one day. Otherwise, perspiration causes salt deposits to form that chafe the skin and can lead to infections. If you have circulatory disorders, it’s also important not to transfer to a wheelchair while barefoot. You shouldn’t stand or walk barefoot either – the risk of injury is too high. And when you are in bed, you can put a padded support under the heel and ankle of your sound leg in order to prevent pressure points.
Frequently asked questions
The loss of one or more limbs poses numerous questions for those affected. You’ll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions here.
If you can’t find the answer to one of your questions here, contact your O&P professional, therapist or doctor. Your rehabilitation team is in the best position to assess your individual situation and provide you with professional advice on this basis.