Prosthetic legs, or prostheses, can help people with leg amputations get around more easily. They mimic the function and, sometimes, even the appearance of a real leg. Some people still need a cane, walker or crutches to walk with a prosthetic leg, while others can walk freely.
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If you have a lower limb amputation, or you will soon, a prosthetic leg is probably an option you&#;re thinking about. There are a few considerations you should take into account first.
While many people with limb loss do well with their prosthetic legs, not everyone is a good candidate for a leg prosthesis. A few questions you may want to discuss with your doctor before opting for a prosthetic leg include:
The type of amputation (above or below the knee) can also affect your decision. It&#;s generally easier to use a below-the-knee prosthetic leg than an above-the-knee prosthesis. If the knee joint is intact, the prosthetic leg takes much less effort to move and allows for more mobility.
The reason behind the amputation is also a factor, as it may impact the health of the residual limb. Your physical health and lifestyle are also important to consider. If you were not very active and lost your leg due to peripheral vascular disease or diabetes, for example, you will struggle more with a prosthesis than someone who was extremely active but lost a limb in a car accident.
When it comes to amputation, each person is unique. The decision to move forward with a prosthesis should be a collaborative one between you and your doctor.
If your doctor prescribes a prosthetic leg, you might not know where to begin. It helps to understand how different parts of a prosthesis work together:
There are numerous options for each of the above components, each with their own pros and cons. &#;To get the right type and fit, it&#;s important to work closely with your prosthetist &#; a relationship you might have for life.
A prosthetist is a health care professional who specializes in prosthetic limbs and can help you select the right components. You&#;ll have frequent appointments, especially in the beginning, so it&#;s important to feel comfortable with the prosthetist you choose.
Once you&#;ve selected your prosthetic leg components, you will need rehabilitation to strengthen your legs, arms and cardiovascular system, as you learn to walk with your new limb. You&#;ll work closely with rehabilitation physicians, physical therapists and occupational therapists to develop a rehabilitation plan based on your mobility goals. A big part of this plan is to keep your healthy leg in good shape: while prosthetic technology is always advancing, nothing can replicate a healthy leg.
Learning to get around with a prosthetic leg can be a challenge. Even after initial rehabilitation is over, you might experience some issues that your prosthetist and rehabilitation team can help you manage. Common obstacles include:
Phantom limb pain, or pain that seems to come from the amputated limb, is a very real problem that you may face after an amputation. About 80% of people with amputations experience phantom limb pain that has no clear cause, although pain in the limb before amputation may be a risk factor.
Mirror therapy, where you perform exercises with a mirror, may help with certain types of phantom limb pain. Looking at yourself in the mirror simulates the presence of the amputated leg, which can trick the brain into thinking it&#;s still there and stop the pain.
In other cases, phantom limb pain might stem from another condition affecting the residual limb, such as sciatica or neuroma. Addressing these root causes can help eliminate the phantom pain.
At some point, you may notice that you aren&#;t as functional as you&#;d like to be with your current leg prosthesis. Maybe your residual limb has stabilized and you&#;re ready to transition from a temporary prosthesis that lasts a few months to one that can last three to five years. Or maybe you&#;ve &#;outwalked&#; your prosthesis by moving more or differently than the prosthesis is designed for. New pain, discomfort and lack of stability are some of the signs that it may be time to check in with your prosthetist to reevaluate your needs.
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Your prosthetist might recommend adjusting your current equipment or replacing one of the components. Or you might get a prescription for a new prosthetic leg, which happens on average every three to five years. If you receive new components, it&#;s important to take the time to understand how they work. Physical therapy can help adjust to the new components or your new prosthetic leg.
There are always new developments in prosthetic limb technology, such as microprocessor-driven and activity-specific components.
It&#;s important to remember that you&#;re not alone in navigating the many different prosthetic leg options. Your care team will help you weigh the pros and cons of each and decide on the ideal prosthetic leg that matches your lifestyle.
Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Amputee Rehabilitation Program
Having the support of a dedicated team of experts is essential when recovering from the amputation of a limb. At Johns Hopkins, our team of physiatrists, orthotists, prosthetists, physical and occupational therapists, rehabilitation psychologists and other specialists works together to create your custom rehabilitation plan.
Learn more about our amputee rehabilitation programResearchers at Bournemouth University have been looking at the impact of lower-limb prosthetics on competitive running, specifically looking at whether athletes with prosthesis are at an unfair advantage when running against athletes without prosthetics.
The last two Olympic Games in both Beijing and London have had some controversy attached to them regarding the role of prosthetic limbs used by athletes with a lower-limb amputation.
In , South African Oscar Pistorius ran against able-bodied athletes and obtained an Olympic Qualification time in the 400m. In , he changed the way disability is viewed by the world by participating in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the same year. Controversy surrounds the impact of the prosthetic limb technology used by lower-limb amputees. Hossein Hassani, a researcher at Bournemouth University involved in the project, said on behalf of his colleagues, "These prostheses typically involve the use of composite 'c' or 'j' shaped prostheses and whilst often dubbed 'Cheetahs' by the media, are merely a form of energy storage and return springs."
Previous research has looked at how this technology is perceived by the sports stakeholders and through applying basic engineering principles how it could be performance enhancing. Now the BU team have continued this strand of research, utilising a series of statistical techniques in order to provide informed commentary about the controversy of using prosthetics -- and whether those with prosthetic lower limbs running against athletes with no prosthetics are at an unfair advantage.
The study analyses the results of the men's running events performed at the London Paralympics Games by three different classifications of athlete with an amputation. These classifications comprise athletes with amputations both above or below the knee and whether they have a single of double amputation. The study compares both within and between classifications of these lower-limb amputees.
Hossein Hossani continues, "Ultimately, this study provides statistical evidence to propose that the number of prosthetic limbs used, the design of such limbs and the length of the event that they are used in has a significant impact on the results of such competitions at the Paralympic Games.
"As a result, this study reveals that the disability sport stakeholders should not just look at the prosthetics technology generally, they should also consider the type of event that they are being used in and the way athletes within these events are classified.
"Furthermore, this study adds further weight to suggest that the use of such technology in able-bodied sport needs to be carefully considered in the future -- the prosthesis' spring-like design could propel an athlete in a way that is not quite like the able bodied athletes."
Their findings were also confirmed in a second study, which provided an overview of running performance of athletes with lower-limb amputations at the Paralympic Games between and . This overview allowed the researchers to gain a greater depth of information about the way athletes use their lower-limb prosthesis when running and whether running performance has changed over time as advances in technology of prosthesis has changed, giving such athletes a competitive advantage.
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