Lower Limb Amputation: A Guide to Living a Quality Life

146 Pages·2005·1.2 MB·English

by  M.D. Adrian Cristian

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Lower Limb Amputation
A Guide to Living a Quality Life
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Lower Limb Amputation
A Guide to Living a Quality Life
Adrian Cristian, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Rehabilitation Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
and
Chief, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Bronx VA Medical Center
New York, New York
New York
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Demos Medical Publishing, LLC, 386 Park Avenue South, New York, New York
10016. Visit our website at www.demosmedpub.com.
© 2006 by Demos Medical Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. This book is pro-
tected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cristian, Adrian, 1964-
Lower limb amputation : a guide to living a quality life / Adrian Cristian. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-932603-24-7
1. Leg—Amputation—Popular works. I. Title.
RD560.C75 2005
617.5'8—dc22
2005008843
The purpose of this book is to provide information to readers so that they can make
more informed decisions about their own healthcare. It should not be construed as
medical advice and readers should always consult with their doctors.
COPYEDITOR: Jessica Bryan
PRODUCTION/TYPESETTER: Patricia Wallenburg, TypeWriting
PRINTER: Transcontinental
INDEXER: Joann Woy, Freelance Editorial Services
COVER DESIGNER: James Reyman, Reyman Studio
Made in Canada
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To Eliane, Alexander, and Chloe—the joys of my life.
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Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. The Causes of Lower Limb Amputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3. Prevention of Additional Amputations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4. Amputation Surgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5. The Early Post-Surgical Period of Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6. The Rehabilitation Unit and the “Rehab” Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
7. The Prosthesis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
8. Walking with a Prosthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
9. Returning Home with a Prosthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
10. Problems Commonly Encountered by Lower Limb Amputees . . 77
11. Follow-up Visits to the Rehabilitation Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
12. The Older, Frail Amputee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
13. The Bilateral Amputee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
14. The Child with a Lower Limb Amputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
15. Sports and the Lower Limb Amputee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
16. Coping with the Loss of a Limb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
vii
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viii | Contents
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127