Month: June 2019

Losing a limb can be traumatizing for most people, especially for those who are accustomed to going through their daily lives with a complete set. Losing a limb can be compared to a machine losing one of its critical parts to carry out tasks effectively. Unlike with a machine, however, this does not have to mean the end of everything else, but it can affect your overall functionality. The loss of a vital part of your musculoskeletal system won’t only hamper your ability to carry on with your daily routine but affect the rest of your body that’s slowly accustoming itself to functioning without the limb that you lost.

 

How you can get back on track

Although limb loss may affect you physically, mentally, and emotionally, there are several ways of getting back to normal life as soon as possible without the need for expensive treatments or surgeries. Fortunately, these simple, cost-effective tips can help you begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel while adjusting to life as an amputee. 

To help cut out the “dis” in disability for good, here are a few tips that you can follow to keep your mind, body, and spirit healthy as ever during the adjustment phase: 

 

// Find a specialized physical trainer who can help you out

In cases like these, a physical trainer serves more than someone who can help you out with getting back on track to regular functioning with ease. Having a physical trainer also means having someone who can also guide you through the important steps towards facing all types of barriers.

Other than helping you with proper training, nutrition, and other related steps, a specialized physical trainer is also someone whom you can talk to when trying to living without a limb. Most physical trainers have worked with cases like yours, but that doesn’t mean that you’re any less special — it just means that they know how to approach your situation better. Experienced physical trainers will know all the right words to say whenever you feel hopeless. They can also help you build up mental resilience (aside from training your physical health).

 

// Head on over to the gym

While there might be fewer workouts that you can do, depending on which limb you lost, going to the gym is a perfect way to release tension. It’s always a good idea to help put all your negative energy into lifting weights and putting them down, especially because the fitness goals come along can with helping to mentally train yourself for the unshakable dedication and work to be instilled in your recovery process as an amputee.

Just like the process of building a better body, hitting the milestones of recovering from limb loss is all about patience, understanding, and perseverance. This can eventually aid in your overall recovery process and make the situation a lot easier to bear. Aside from spiritual and motivational needs, busting it out at the gym can help you find a stronger, more refined sense of confidence that you can wear proudly in the face of adversity, allowing you come out victorious every single time.

Learn more about our prosthesis solutions on our product page. Feel free to get in touch with us today to see how we can help!

Two of the most important parts in prosthetic device setups are the liners and sleeves; you may not notice it, but they’re responsible for the softness and comfort that you experience during use. Prosthetic sleeves and liners are vital components in the suspension between layers and the ease of use of any prosthetic device or limb, which means they need to be given much care and maintenance once you start using them.

When prosthetic sleeves and liners aren’t maintained properly, they’re prone to becoming brittle and even cracking, which can result in you having to spend more to use your prosthetic limb without any discomfort. Aside from the brittleness and cracking, unmaintained prosthetic devices will begin to give off a funky smell that won’t go unnoticed, eventually falling apart much more quickly.

Given the delicate nature of the materials used, it’s essential to maintain your prosthetic devices regularly so that their usefulness can be prolonged, setting replacement day back a few more years (or decades, even).

How to maintain a prosthetic device properly

Prosthetics might seem like a pain to maintain, but it’s much easier than people think! Here are some essential tips that you can use to help keep your prosthetic device nice and clean while helping it last even longer:

Clean your prosthetic device regularly

Using a trusted high-quality cleanser to give your prosthetic device a thorough clean is important in ensuring that it will last longer in its usefulness. Leaving sweat and grime in your prosthetic device can result in aggravated skin irritation and result in even more problems than you can handle. Those irritations can range from sores, allergies, red skin, and even strange smells. If you don’t have a pH-balanced or special prosthetic cleaner, gentle compounds like baby shampoo will do the trick to help keep your device in tip-top shape.

After applying a gentle solution on your cleaner, use your hands and rub and wash it on the gel and fabric of the prosthetic liner until it forms foams. If you want a deeper clean, use a soft brush (like a toothbrush) to help get in tight spots such as your prosthetic liners and sleeves. Once you’re satisfied with the result, wash the foam off with warm water until all the soap comes off. 

Pass on the animal-based skin care products

Using skin care products that contain any animal oil, animal fat, or hydrocarbon oil will cause your gel liners and prosthetic sleeves to break down quickly due to their chemical content. It would be best for you to settle for other alternatives that don’t contain any similar materials. Examine the product ingredients that you use on your skin by checking the list in the label to ensure that those items are free of animal products.

Use prosthetic wipes

If you don’t have time to clean your prosthetic sleeves and liners thoroughly, specially-formulated prosthetic wipes are perfect for maintaining your prosthetic sleeves, liners, and the device itself. This is perfect for when you’re travelling or on the go! Using prosthetic wipes that are pH-balanced and alcohol-free will help with the maintenance of your device and skin. It will also reduce the occurrences of unwanted odours during use!

Learn more about our prosthesis solutions on our product page. Feel free to get in touch with us today to see how we can help!

 

After a successful amputation, a new life awaits those who will be living with prosthetic limbs. Sure, living with prosthetic can be quite challenging. If you are a lower-limb prosthetic user, you need to adjust to having a new mechanical part of your body. Over time, the prosthetic is said to become an extension of your body. Getting there, however, is a challenge.

Thus, the use of prosthesis involves a 50/50 effort between you and your prosthetist. Even longtime wearers of a prosthesis can sometimes experience minor setbacks. The new ones may also find it hard to adjust. Not to mention the many prosthetic considerations to take note of — from wearing to cleaning to maintaining your prosthetic and your condition.

That said, here are five things that you need to remember when wearing a prosthetic. It pays to be wary of these considerations and not to take your prosthesis for granted.

Have a Regular Checkup with Your PCP

First off, it’s crucial to have a regular checkup with your Primary Care Physician (PCP). Visit your general doctor at least once every six months. This is in order to discuss the condition of your residual limb. You will also need to check the function of your prosthesis with your doctor. If there is something that bothers you such as new prosthetic needs (For instance new liners, socks, or shrinkers), your prosthesis no longer fitting, or certain discomfort or instability, tell your doctor. This is so he or she can immediately act on it by writing a prescription for you.

Visit Your Prosthetist

Apart from your regular PCP, visiting your prosthetist at least every six months is equally important. You should do this even if you think nothing is wrong. That being said, if you notice that something feels off with your limb or prosthesis, schedule an appointment with your prosthetist immediately. You can do this even in between scheduled visits to your prosthetist.

Check Your Medical Insurance Coverage

It pays to be informed about your medical insurance coverage. Whether you are covered by private healthcare insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid, you need to understand the terms of your insurance coverage. There may be corresponding deductibles or copays that apply; hence, you may have to shell out some money. Some medical insurance packages do not include prosthetics as a covered benefit. Thus, you may have to buy a secondary coverage policy so that more of your prosthetic expenses are covered since you will be using them for your lifetime.

Know Your K-level

Furthermore, it is imperative that you know what your K-level is. You also have to determine how it affects the components your prosthetist can use when fabricating your prosthesis. The K-level is employed to test the amputee’s mobility level used throughout the medical insurance community. This level can be determined by your PCP and/or by your prosthetist. The levels can range from K-0 to K-4, with the latter indicating a very active or athletic individual.

Maintain Personal Hygiene

Finally, what better way to ensure prosthetic function and your health condition than to maintain good personal hygiene? This is particularly very important for lower-limb amputees, knowing that it relates to your limbs and entails daily cleaning of the inside of your liners. That said, pay particular attention to your sound foot and leg. Be wary of dry skin, blisters, and ulcers which can lead to infections. Taking such infections for granted may lead to another amputation surgery. It’s always best to maintain a level of cleanliness throughout your body.

Learn more about our prosthesis solutions on our product page. Feel free to get in touch with us today to see how we can help!

In today’s fast-paced society, driving is arguably the most reliable way for one to go from one place to another. Whether you’re buying groceries or going to work, driving your personal car is extremely convenient.

For people who have suffered from limb loss, however, the ability to continue driving their own car as the primary means of transportation may seem impossible. Fortunately, it is more than possible for people to drive with a prosthesis today. This article will outline what it means to drive with a prosthesis.

 

Overview of Prostheses

Losing a limb – whether from an accident or a medical condition – can be traumatizing. A prosthesis is an artificial device used to replace a missing limb, which is designed to help amputees with their everyday activities, making it easier for them to function.

There are various types of prostheses available today, including passive prostheses and functional prostheses. Passive prostheses are generally used for purely cosmetic purposes whereas functional prostheses are devices designed to assist amputees with daily tasks.

 

Getting a Driver’s License

Before an amputee can attain a driver’s license, there are many steps involved in the process. The one thing that every amputee must do is to inform the driver’s license agency about the change to their medical condition. In general, an amputee must visit an assessment center to see if their vehicle has to go through any structural modifications.

This is to ensure the safety of the driver and every passenger in the car. After that, the amputee has to retake a driving test to further test the amputee’s ability to drive in a safe manner. If amputees wish to continue driving, they are allowed to do so, given that they have passed the test and the necessary modifications to the vehicle have been made.

 

Getting Vehicular Modifications

As mentioned, there are cases that the vehicle needs to be modified in order to fit with the amputee’s special needs. Hand controls can be added such as hand brakes, accelerators, and steering knobs that help to ensure safe driving. For some amputees, some components have to be moved around for ease of use as well. For example, the gas and brake may have to be switched to the left side of the floorboard instead. Necessary upgrades can also be made, such as an upgrade to the turn signals, windshield wipers, and others.

 

Driving Regulations For People With Prostheses

The ability to drive a vehicle should not be reserved only for people with all of their limbs. Driving a vehicle is a necessary means of transportation for amputees just as much as everyone else. Luckily, most countries have policies and regulations regarding driving with a prosthesis, showing the acknowledgement that all prosthetic patients are also able to drive just as well as others. If you’ve recently gotten a prosthesis limb, you should not be discouraged to stop driving. Remember – losing a limb doesn’t mean that you have to stop living your life.

 

Final Notes

Going through an amputation surgery and learning to perform daily tasks with a prosthetic limb are difficult for everyone. When it comes to the recovery process, everyone copes in a different way and recovers at a different rate. You may take more time to adjust to a prosthesis than others would, but that is perfectly fine. The most important thing is to remember that your family, friends, and counsellor are always there to support you throughout your journey to living a happy, fulfilling life.

Learn more about our prosthesis solutions on our product page. Feel free to get in touch with us today to see how we can help!

Regardless of what age somebody is or what their day by day conditions are, everybody experiences difficulty in sleeping every now and then. It’s a vicious cycle—even the food you ate before going to bed can result in a sleepless night.

Sleeping soundly is especially challenging for individuals who’ve gone through limb loss. Over 1.6 million Americans have gone through this misfortune, and even if not all of them are wearing a prosthetic limb, all of them can experience sleeping issues.

In this article, we’ll share with you some tips on how you can get a comfortable and sound sleep every night. These will also help ensure that your prosthetic limb fits you well for many years to come.

 

Shower in the Evening

If you’ve been used to taking your shower in the mornings, you should think about switching up your daily schedule after getting and wearing your prosthetic limb. The heat from your morning shower can cause your limb to swell. As a result, your prosthetic limb might not fit you well. This can cause a significant level of discomfort throughout the entire day. So, we recommend showering in the evening so the swelling won’t bother you.

 

Wear Your Prosthetic Limb Before Sitting Up From Sleep

Following the same logic, when you wake up, it’s not wise to sit up and throw your legs to the side of the bed without wearing your prosthetic leg first. This is because while sleeping, your entire body relaxes: your organs, bones, and body fluids also slept. When you wake up and sit up, the body fluid will flow down to your legs when you throw them to the side right after getting up from sleep.

Put on your prosthetic leg while still lying down, so that when you sit or stand up, your leg would have already adjusted to the prosthetic limb’s opening.

 

Skip the Pillow Between the Legs

Sleeping with a pillow between the legs is very comfortable and some people love doing it. However, doing so is not advisable for individuals who’ve had an above-the-knee amputation. Putting a pillow between your thighs while sleeping can lengthen your inner thigh muscle while shortening your outer thigh muscle. Over time, these changes may affect how your limb lays during the day or while you’re standing with your prosthetic limb(s) on. This may result in pain.

Another related complication is the development of hip flexion contracture. In this condition, the hip is unable to completely straighten up, causing a patient discomfort every day.

 

Follow Stretching Recommendations

You can expect your physical therapist to teach you stretching exercises that you should do every day. You should particularly prioritize stretches that allow you to extend and strengthen your legs and hips. Do the stretches in the morning so that you’ll be ready for the entire day.

Following those stretching recommendations will help you to feel comfortable while sitting, standing, walking, lying down, and sleeping.

Figuring out how to live comfortably with a prosthetic limb may take a while, and an individual’s experience will always be different from that of another amputee. These tips are just some of those that you can follow and practice to ensure that you go through this journey as comfortably and safely as possible.

Learn more about our prosthesis solutions on our product page. Feel free to get in touch with us today to see how we can help!