Building and fitting prosthetic limbs is both an art and a science, the design must evolve with the amputee as they progress in rehabilitation and in life.

The Immediate Post-Operative Period

Right after amputation, and sometimes during the procedure itself; your surgeon or prosthetist may apply a dressing to the amputated limb to control swelling and begin shaping the amputated limb. This dressing may be rigid and not allow you access to the wound site, or it may be soft and require dressing changes throughout the day.  Either way, compression on a newly amputated limb is a good thing in most cases, besides shrinking and shaping the limb, it reduces pain and gets the amputee more familiar with their limb and their needs going forward.

It is important that the amputee and prosthetist stay in close communication during this period, we’ll want to know when your suture/staples are being removed and how the healing process is moving along. In most cases, we can help make sure the amputated limb is safe and continues to progress nicely through the healing process.

Temporary, Preparatory or Training Prosthesis

The temporary, preparatory or training prosthesis, are all synonyms for the same thing; the very first prosthetic a new amputee will ever use.  This prosthesis is less sophisticated than the “definitive” prosthesis they will receive later on, and just as the multiple names imply, it is used for new amputees to begin to learn how to operate their prosthetic, get comfortable with maintenance of their limb and prosthetic, and learn what will work best for them.

Additionally, the first three months after the amputation surgery is when we typically see the most volume reduction in the residual limb.  Basically, the limb will progressively shrink throughout your first few months because it is now inside a prosthetic socket for the first time ever, the constant limb containment of a prosthetic socket, causes edema and fluid to move out of the amputated limb. When not wearing the prosthesis, the new amputee should be wearing an elastic shrinker sock that encapsulates the limb and provides compression to ensure the shrinking process continues around the clock.

As the limb shrinks, the new amputee will have to apply prosthetic socks to take up the space the limb used to fill inside the socket. This is an important process, because adjusting to volume changes is a fact of life for most amputees, and the sooner they become comfortable with diagnosing how many socks they need on a given day the sooner they will be successful as a new amputee.  

Definitive Prosthesis

After a few months of waiting, rehabilitation and prosthetic use, most amputees are ready for what is called a “definitive prosthesis.” Although not truly definitive, this prosthesis should last most patients for a number of years with maintenance and adjustments along the way.

We will begin the definitive fitting process once the residual limb has stabilized in size and shape. A new socket will be custom fit to the new volume and shape of your residual limb, and new componentry will be selected that will best fit your individual needs and allow you to continue advancing as an amputee.  It is important for the amputee to be very clear about their lifestyle and goals as a person during this process as it will enable the best possible prosthetic to be built just for you.

It is very important to understand that although it is called a “definitive” prosthesis, it is not the only prosthesis most amputees will ever need. Humans are dynamic, living organisms, our bodies are made of mostly fluid; and our bodies change throughout our lives.  There are a multitude of factors that can cause your limb to shrink or swell, especially weight gain or loss; so it is important you check in with your prosthetist on a regular basis. Socket changes can be a semi-frequent thing for some amputees, everyone is different, but if you are ever in pain, you need to contact your prosthetist right away!

Lastly, prosthetics are ultimately mechanical replacements for your natural limb, they are made of moving mechanical and electrical parts. Fact of life: moving parts wear down and break over time, they also may require maintenance, alignment and other adjustments. If you ever have a question, or something isn’t operating or feeling like it used to, or you’re hearing a new strange noise…Contact your prosthetist and schedule an appointment right away. 

Special Considerations

Children grow fast! Their prosthetics must grow with them.  We suggest a much tighter visit schedule for growing children to ensure that we are keeping up with their rapidly evolving needs.  And since we build everything right in our own laboratory, we can often build a new prosthetic in a single day if needed, to make sure our kids keep on living happy successful lives!

Water prosthetics allow you to shower, swim, snorkel or dive in the water while maintain use of your amputated limb.  They also allow you to exit and enter the water with use of both limbs, which can be extremely important. Obviously, these prosthetics must take special consideration for the type of activities an amputee may be doing in the water;  we will be happy to develop the right type of water prosthetic for whatever activities you will be doing with them.