Amputees and prostetic legs

Tornadoboy · Aug 22, 2009

I have a character whom loses a foot just above the ankle and I was wondering how long it would take for her to plausibly be able to hobble around on a prostetic limb?

The complicating factors here are that none of this takes place under hospital or rehabilitation center care, although her amputation was done by a talented surgeon it has been cared for under an improvised medical setting. Also she has to stay hidden so fitting the prostetic can only be done on site, but said surgeon has a friend whom normally works with such things at a hospital.

Kitty Pryde · Aug 24, 2009

Well, she could be up on crutches right away. I know it's at least several weeks of healing before someone gets a temporary prosthesis that's different from the final one, for several reasons. It's at least a few weeks more before they get the final version, as the residual limb changes shape when swelling goes down and unused muscles atrophy. Check out http://www.amputee-coalition.org/first_step_2005/fs2005_section03.pdf and http://www.oandp.com/resources/patientinfo/manuals/bkindex.htm

Keep in mind that a prosthetist's lab has a bunch of different machines to work various different materials to create a mold and then make the finished product to be a perfect fit, And it takes several days or more to make. At least for the sorts of prosthetics you usually see in developed countries (like these http://www.ottobockus.com/cps/rde/xchg/ob_us_en/hs.xsl/589.html ). Maybe they could make a cast of the residual limb in hiding and take it to a prosthetist.

If she's getting a prosthesis in secret, she might end up needing something like the Jaipur Leg (http://www.jaipurfoot.org/), which is designed for people who live in places that don't have prosthetics labs. They can be custom fitted in a remotely set-up camp in one afternoon, mostly using regular tools.

If you do some searching for "bk amputee" you can probably find some good blogs about people's experience with this sort of rehabilitation.

Tornadoboy · Aug 28, 2009

Thanks!

Kitty Pryde said:
Well, she could be up on crutches right away. I know it's at least several weeks of healing before someone gets a temporary prosthesis that's different from the final one, for several reasons. It's at least a few weeks more before they get the final version, as the residual limb changes shape when swelling goes down and unused muscles atrophy. Check out http://www.amputee-coalition.org/first_step_2005/fs2005_section03.pdf and http://www.oandp.com/resources/patientinfo/manuals/bkindex.htm

Keep in mind that a prosthetist's lab has a bunch of different machines to work various different materials to create a mold and then make the finished product to be a perfect fit, And it takes several days or more to make. At least for the sorts of prosthetics you usually see in developed countries (like these http://www.ottobockus.com/cps/rde/xchg/ob_us_en/hs.xsl/589.html ). Maybe they could make a cast of the residual limb in hiding and take it to a prosthetist.

If she's getting a prosthesis in secret, she might end up needing something like the Jaipur Leg (http://www.jaipurfoot.org/), which is designed for people who live in places that don't have prosthetics labs. They can be custom fitted in a remotely set-up camp in one afternoon, mostly using regular tools.

If you do some searching for "bk amputee" you can probably find some good blogs about people's experience with this sort of rehabilitation.

Amputees and prostetic legs

Tornadoboy

I bite

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

Tornadoboy

I bite