The best training before installing prosthesis

Today Medi-Rehatek will introduce the residual limb training before installing prosthesis

Training of stumps:

After 3 to 4 days of amputation surgery, amputees can start their own movement. After taking out stitches, amputees carry out resistance training with hands or sandbags and pulleys.They should have gradual increase in muscle strength.

1, lower limb amputation

To enhance knee flexor and extensor muscle strength ofpatient with below knee prosthesis, amputees should train the stumps in order to improve the muscle strength of hipextension and hip abductor force that has a significant role in lateral rotation stability.Thigh prosthesis obtains the stability of the knee.

2, upper limb amputation

A certain degree of muscle strength and joint mobility isvery important for amputation, and it varies according to the type of control system and strap. Also, from the view of adaptability of upper limb prosthesis, they need to do muscle contraction training for the first residual limb.

After this training,it can increase the circumference of residual limb,which is conducive to the installation and adaptability of artificial limb. This training is particularly important when using a suction socket. 

Relative blog: The Best Prosthetic Socket with Elastic Sleeve

The best time to replace the prosthesis

When should amputees replace the older prosthesis,Medi-Rehatek will have more as below:

After the initial installation of the prosthetic,the atrophy of residual limb will be faster (especially the amputation time is not long), therefore, within a year or twopatient should replace the first prosthesis.

In order to reduce the economic burden, when installing the second prosthesis, patient can consider replacing only the upper half of the prosthetic socket , that is, to keep the parts other than the prosthetic socket as much as possible.So the cost will save a lot.

Three years later, the residual limb becomes basically fixed and unchangeable, the progress of atrophy relatively slows down, stump changes a little bit.

Adults with moderate daily activity (excluding children, adolescents during growth, and strong laborers ), a prosthesis can wear 3-5 years that is not a problem.

In general, after the initial stage of tempering, patient has been adapted to the prosthesis, should not have any pain and discomfort in a long walk. Thus, it is possible to naturally keep the gait correct, that is to say, the smaller the shake amplitude of the body is, the better it is .

Relative blog: More realistic prostheses can control finger swing II

The best shoe for prosthesis

MEDI-REHATEK will introduce how to adjust the shoe that is fit with  prosthesis.

Heel adjustment method: if the heel is low, the body will have the feeling of moving backward.Walking and standing for a long time that make knee being stretched too hard,the knee will feel pain after walking far.

 At this time it is appropriate to increase the thickness of the heel with a little thick leather (the thick leather is cut into semi-circular, has about the second half of the heel. Available "AB glue" will stick firmly and fix). 

If the heel is high, then the body center of gravity will always involuntarily move forward, the knee obviously can not stand straightly, then patient should replace the shoes with lower heel.

In addition, the first one is to select the shoe with larger size,that is easy to wear on and off; the second one should have more emphasis on selection of sole of shoe that is firm and wears resistant. The sole of shoe on prosthetic limb wears most, the instep of shoe is not easy to wear.

Special reminder:

All new prostheses are like the new shoes that you buy,they are hard and not so soft,unfit to foot. When you change into a new prosthesis, you obviously feel that the oldone is better and easy to wear off and on. Therefore, to remember:

Do not wear a new prosthesis to travel (of course except the first artificial limbs). Because the interval of several years, (artificial limbs have a life cycle), the residual limb will change and it is difficult to detect changes with the naked eyes, the old and new prosthesis will have a certain degree of difference. 

So, you can not suddenly adapt to the new prosthesis. Once being out of the house, when you feel there is some kind of discomfort, such as wearing pain.There will no other choice, you only have to suffer from that. 

Relative blog: More realistic prosthesis can control finger swing

How to walk with prosthesis

MEDI-REHATEK sort out the key points for amputees with initial wearing prosthesis.

1,Patient should stand straight: waist and knee should be straight.Patient should not have the feeling of moving forward or backward.

2, The origin of force on the load-bearing body should be evenly distributed. That is: after wearing the prosthesis, the knee around the mouth of prosthetic socket, including the lower part of the prosthesis should be no obvious pain in a certain place, even if it is worn with red color, there is little pain, it should be evenly distributed.

3, Test ankle part: Shaking back and forth for several times when standing,the prosthesis is stable like a pillar .If it is able to have freely "forward" range, which is essential to going up and down the stairs as well as going uphill and downhill.

4, The walking is mainly driven by the knee, but if the residual limb is long , then the residual limb co-operates with the prosthesis to move, the stride will be more stable and natural.

5, Pay attention to the level of the heel. When changing shoes, patient should try to maintain the initial height of the prosthetic assembly. If you do not master the self-debugging skills of artificial limb , do not easily change the level of the heel.

Visual methods: 

After putting on shoes, patient takes the vertical 90 degrees as the ruler, the amplitude of prosthesis should be a little bit forward, that is, the degree between the leg tube and foot are about eighties. That is more appropriate to walking up. 

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Gait training of initial installation hip prosthesis

There is also a balanced training procedure before the gait exercise after the prosthesis assembly.The procedure is similar to that described above except that the platform of load bearing is replaced by  Medi-Rehatek prosthesis.

The gait training is a functional training performed by hip disarticulation amputees after they can grasp the balance of the body. The training steps are as follows:

1, The center of gravity moves in the support phase: the prosthesis as the support leg, health limbs alternately have stride and backwards stride, such training can help the prosthesis user master the way of movement of the center of gravity in the support phase;

2, The center of gravity moves in the swing phase: the healthy limb as the support leg, prosthesis alternately have stride and backwards stride, such training can help the prosthesis user master the way of movement of the center of gravity in the swing phase.Meanwhile stride action let user master and control the swing rhythm of prosthesis;

3, Gait coordination training: artificial limbs and healthy limbs move alternatively forward in order to achieve a certain degree of coordination;

4, Terrain obstacle training: for example, slope, ladder and other adaptive training of common environment in daily life;

The above process is divided into two parts,training with or without bars, training with bars refers to the hands touch the balance bar or other auxiliary tools in the state of training,training without bars refers to hands without relying on the balance bar or other auxiliary tools in the state of training.

The gait training in the prosthetic assembly is boring, but the prosthetic user must take it seriously. Once the bad gait is formed,it is difficult to be corrected.The systematical and professional training is the basis for ensuring good gait in the future.

Relative blog:Initial requirements of installing prosthesis for hip disarticulation

Key points of gait training of initial installation hip prosthesis

Hip disarticulation prosthesis is composed of various accessories for the plane of amputation site is high. So the function and gait training process is complicated among the lower limb prostheses from Medi-Rehatek.  From the whole process of functional training, it can be divided into two stages,balanced training, gait training.

Balance training is mainly used in the time after preparation of the socket model and waiting for prosthetic production . The training method has three parts:

1, Amputee stands with bearing load on both sides of knee. (amputation side using the ischial bearing-load on the cast frame). Ensuring the level of pelvis and the stability of static standing,amputee move alternatively the trunk forward and backward ;

2,Ensuring healthy limb to stand alone and be stable upright state, amputee can twist the pelvis on the horizontal plane.Amputee shouldn’t relax when standing andobserve whether the pelvis is level before a mirror;

3,The amputation side bears load alone.The height cast frame can be slightly lowered. The amputation side bears load independently by ischium after healthy limb flexion , Ensuring the amputation side to be stable and upright, the health limbs canhave alternately stride and backwards stride.

There is also a balanced training procedure before the gait exercise after the prosthesis assembly.The procedure is similar to that described above except that the platform of load bearing is replaced by a prosthesis.

Relative blog: The common load-bearing method of hip disarticulation prosthesis