Extremity Orthopedic
General Information
Recovery after an amputation is a complex process that confronts patients with situations of sadness, anger and frustration. This is why many people, especially friends and family, wonder how to help them adjust to their new life.
What is an amputation?
An amputation is the cutting of a bone with healthy tissue or the cutting of a body part at a joint (disarticulation). The amputation of a leg or any other limb is necessary when said body region is damaged and will not heal or may endanger the health or life of the patient.
Limb loss can result from accidents, circulation problems, cancer, or birth defects. In cases of prolonged illness, the amputee knows in advance the need to perform this operation, but when it is caused by an accident, the amputation is unexpected and can have a strong impact on the patient.
What to do after an amputation?
Once the operation is done, and once the arm, hand or leg is amputated, it is necessary to pay special attention to the cures of the amputation stump or residual stump. The care of the stump in amputees is very important both to heal the wound and to prepare that part of the body for the use of a prosthesis. For this it is necessary that the stump does not generate pain, that it can support weight and that it has mobility in all directions.
In a situation as serious and unfortunate as the loss of a limb, a significant compensation must be sought that compensates in some way for the radical change of life that is caused due to the accident.