Prosthetic Leg Fitting Problems
Leg amputees need to take special care to maintain a consistent stump volume to ensure their prosthetic leg fits well and doesn’t hurt or rub their residual limb.
Sometimes in my gym, I will be ready to treat an amputee and they will arrive unable to don their prosthetic leg, which is a frustrating outcome for everyone.
An increase in stump volume can be caused by many things and some common ones include:
- Leaving your stump unbandaged overnight. In the initial 12-18 months after leg amputation, an elastic bandage or shrinker sock must be worn overnight or whenever the prosthetic leg is not being worn to prevent swelling of the stump. If you have heart or kidney problems you may need to keep bandaging always, to prevent your stump swelling overnight.
- Sitting for long periods with your residual limb hanging down (for below knee amputees) may cause swelling because there is no muscle pump and your lymphatic drainage system has been disrupted by your amputation.
- Meals high in salt and/or alcohol content can cause your stump to swell, especially if combined with the above factors.
- Some ladies experience stump swelling at certain times throughout their menstrual cycle and may need to bandage at those times to ensure continuity of fit of their prosthesic leg.
- Prolonged periods of inactivity or bed rest (for example a hospital admission) may cause an increase in stump volume because by not wearing your prosthestic leg fluid accumulates in your stump and is not pumped out by weight bearing. In cases like these, always have your bandage or shrinker sock at the ready to avoid fitting problems when you are ready to be back on both feet
I hope you have found this checklist for prosthetic leg fitting challenges useful.
Let me know what you think.
Until next time…. Cathy… The Amputee Coach
10 Comments to “Prosthetic Leg Fitting Problems”
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hi, i am btk into my 10 month,do well into my third prosthic. i pick my new one on thursday.i need some advice
Hi Kevin
For sure, how can I help?
You can reply here or if you would like to contact me directly, please email me at:
cathy@theamputeecoach.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
Cathy – The Amputee Coach
hi cathy, before my btk amputation, i lost half of my foot in a motor cycle accident.in 1982.the last 2 years before my amputation i was working on a farm with beef cattle. very physical work,and i read your first page of your book. about frustration anger etc.. that is how i feel.i don’t feel sorry for my self its the other side frustration etc..in my head i could do the job on the farm, but physically i cant do it. i am motorvated enough,can i ever go back to that kind of employment again.and i need to lose weight i am 126 kg, to heavy. my stump does not hurt, which i thought it would with all the weight.at present it aches after three hours, will that change as time goes on. thankyou
Hi Kevin,
The short answer to your question is “Yes, you can go back to that type of work.” I have quite a few patients who are farmers and do all the heavy work necessary on their farms.
As you point out though weightloss would be an advantage for you and also some specific strengthening exercises for your leg and core to make it easier to cope with the loads you have to carry. This would also help to decrease the aching you experience after 3 hrs at the moment. The fact that your stump does not hurt is very encouraging and puts you in good stead to improve your functioning with your prosthesis.
You would benefit from reading the rest of The Amputee Coach Book- it has the exercises you need, advice to help you lose weight and deal with your frustrations. You can order the physical book online or it is now available as an ebook.
Keep putting in the effort Kevin and you will reap the rewards. Just make sure the effort is SPECIFIC to your needs.
hi cathy, thank you for the advice i will get on to it straight away,and thank you for your time. i will keep in touch if thats ok. kevin
Hi Kevin,
You are most welcome.
Please keep in touch. We’d love to hear how you are going!
im an 11yr amputee lbka i have never been able to find a leg that would even fit half comfortable. im a very active person ,i get soars but dont want to take the time off to heal as that would be 3 weeks out of a month now due to the rubbing have caught mrsa in my stump and this is a bran new leg. im very aggitated cause i no it dosnt have to b this way ive tried in my location yankee bionics, hanger some of the top places for theese problems any ideas on what maybe could b done?
Thanks for your question.
I can understand your frustration at the constant breakdown and infections in your leg. You are right when you say it doesn’t have to be this way!
You need to keep going back to your prosthetist so that he can make adjustments to the fit of your prosthesis- don’t give up after the first fitting. Perhaps there are other liners that would suit your skin better also.
When you have an infection you need to stay off your prosthesis until it heals because if you don’t it will only get worse.
To help avoid further episodes of infection good hygiene is very important. Wash your stump daily. Wear clean stump socks daily or if you wear a liner you need to clean it every night. Your prosthetist will tell you the best way to do this depending on what you are wearing.
I know that this stuff can be tiresome but if you do it you will get a better outcome eventually.
Regards
Cathy
Hi Cathy, I am a BKA I noticed that after long periods of wear I began to hear a slapping sound when I walk.What is this?
Thanks for your question.
Because the sound is not there when you initially wear your prosthesis, it may be due to your stump losing volume over time with walking. Its too difficult to tell by description only so I recommend that you visit your prosthetist to ensure that all is well with your prosthetic fit and componentry.