What to Know About Artificial Limbs
Artificial limbs are a critical part of the lives of millions of Americans who have had the unfortunate circumstance of having a limb – all or part – removed. These medical devices are critical in returning to some reasonable quality of life and help amputee patients have hope for a meaningful future. If you’re facing life with artificial limbs, here’s what you should know.
What kind of artificial limbs will you need
Once you’ve had your amputation surgery and the residual limb has healed, you’ll be able to turn your focus on incorporating artificial limbs in your life. You can expect several conversations with your medical team about this and deciding what kind of artificial limb you’ll need is an important decision. One of the fundamental questions you’ll need to answer is what you expect your level of activity to be. Do you hope to run, swim, or bike one day? Or do you need the limb to strictly get through everyday life.
Consider the cosmetics
The world of prosthetics has come so far and artificial limbs are made these days that boggle the mind. Do you care what yours looks like? Do you want a prosthetic that looks as close to the limb you lost as possible, or do you like the high-tech sci-fi look of some devices available today? A talented protethis can give you exactly what you want, you just need to have open conversation about what those wants are.
Do you need specially designed artificial limbs
As briefly explained above, there are limbs designed for general, day-to-day use, then there are limbs designed for special functions like long-distance running. Chances are if you do the latter, you’ll have a limb for both. The key to getting what you need is by continuing an open discussion with your medical team.
Getting used to the limb
Something that many amputation patients don’t think about is the process of getting used to the artificial limb. You don’t just strap it on and walk out of your doc’s office like you’ve had it forever. Learning how to use it will take time and employ the services of a physical therapy team that will teach you how to move with it in a natural way.
