Early fitting of artificial limbs to amputated lower limbs.
Specific rehabilitation of patients with amputated lower limbs is first of all rehabilitation to walk with a prosthesis (artificial limb). After 20 years of practice of prosthetic early fitting for lower limbs amputees using practice prosthesis, the authors suggest that this technique is still up-to-date. The taking charge of amputated patients by a specialised team is an important element if one wants to achieve a good functional result. A rehabilitation milieu, where the new amputee is with a large number of patients with the same pathology, also constitutes a framework that is reassuring as well as stimulating and allows the patient to imagine the situation in which he/she can find himself/ herself a few weeks later.
Centre Neurologique et de Réadaptation Fonctionelle, 4557 Fraiture-en-Condroz.
B Maertens
BM
de Noordhout
L
L
Pirnay
A
A
de Brogniez
D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001186:Artificial Limbs; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000601:surgery*; D011474:Prosthesis Design