According to the study “Worldwide Prevalence of Non-Fatal Traumatic Limb Amputations” published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information of the National Library of Medicine of the United States, there are about 58 million people who live with limb amputation due to causes. traumatic throughout the world. To aid in both physical and emotional recovery there is the prosthetic treatment circle.
The organization Coalition of Amputees considers that after surgery it is important to make a decision about whether a prosthesis will be the best option for the patient according to their activities.
“There is no magic prosthesis, no matter how sophisticated it is, it has to go through a process of adaptation and adaptability. Patients believe that with an expensive prosthesis they are already going to walk, but this is not the case, therefore, it is very important to talk and get to know the patient very well ”, explains José Luis Aguilar Ramírez, president of the Mexican College of Professional Orthotists and Prosthetists.
Currently the main objective of fitting the patient is to integrate the patient into everyday life. Essential to this is what is known as the prosthetic treatment circle. It is a multidisciplinary team made up of a therapist, psychologist, prosthetist, among others. It is also a process that is composed of eight phases.
Procedure to follow
The first step is the evaluation by a prosthetist and the doctor in charge of the amputation or injury to verify the needs according to their age, weight and daily activities, in addition to determining the approximate time of recovery and rehabilitation.
Once it is determined whether the prosthesis, the pre-prosthetic therapy is started to strengthen and tone the stump, with a rehabilitation specialist (doctor or physiotherapist) who advises the patient about the exercises to be performed.
In the recommendation stage, the prosthetist rechecks the stump and asks a series of questions in order to assess the level of activity that the patient will have with the prosthesis. Based on this analysis, the specialist determines the ideal type of prosthesis, the components necessary for it, and the prices and materials are calculated.
To take measurements, the stump must be completely healed and the therapy must continue without pausing, at this time the prosthetist takes all the necessary measurements of the stump to make its test socket by means of a plaster cast or digital photographs. that is, the connection between the stump and the rest of the prosthesis.
Already in production, the mold is used by the prosthetist to carry out the first tests with a socket that will not be the final one, this will help the patient adapt to the prosthesis and determine where the weight is distributed on the stump and thus avoid pain or rubbing.
Afterwards, a test is carried out for six to eight weeks in search of any necessary adjustments to the prosthesis in order to make it comfortable for the patient, since the most important physical changes of the stump occur in this first period of time. Once the patient is 100 percent comfortable and secure with these adjustments, the final socket is fabricated.
With the prosthesis ready, the post-prosthetic rehabilitation begins in which the patient has to learn to modify and control his movement, perform repetitive exercises and training to get to carry out his daily activities; while, in the quality control stage, the patient must be honest about the performance of their prosthesis to make any changes if necessary.
Continuous monitoring is the last phase and it is very important, although many patients fail to comply because they must keep in communication with their prosthetist and notify them of any change in the comfort or performance of the prosthesis.