Tips For Your Success As A User Of Prosthetics

Be compliant – That means you should properly clean the inside of your liners after wearing them. Check your residual limbs each day to be sure you don’t have any issues that need to be addressed – like skin breakdowns. When needed, wear prosthetic Soft Socks to enhance your socket fit.

Don’t procrastinate  – If you have an issue with socket fit, like comfort or prosthetic function, immediately schedule an appointment to see your prosthetist. Don’t let what seems like a small issue grow into a major one, especially if you have diabetes or other skin issues.

Establish personal goals – Set some goals involving physical activities that gradually increase your prostheses use as time goes by. Don’t be satisfied with today’s level of activity. Constantly stretch yourself and strive to achieve more each day while being safe.

Wear and use your prosthesis every day – As a new amputee, you may wonder how long you should wear your prosthesis each day. A standard answer would be, “as much as possible for your comfort level.” If your prosthesis fits comfortably, you should be able to put it on in the morning and wear it until you go to bed at night. Also, by wearing it all day, you will be more inclined to use it more regularly. Your prosthesis will not do you any good if it is sitting in a closet collecting dust.

Accept and embrace your situation – Everyone deals with amputation in his or her own way – some more smoothly than others. The sooner you can come to grips with the fact that you’re an amputee and that your life has not ended, the better. Most amputees are able to return to full lifestyles after they become accustomed to using their prostheses. It is important to understand that being a successful prostheses-user can be as dependent on dealing successfully with mental adjustments as physical ones.

Focus on the future – Don’t be misled; not every day as an amputee will be a walk in the park. Often, you’ll need to exhibit an enormous amount of patience and perseverance. However, if you focus on the positives in life versus the negatives, with sincere effort and determination, you should be able to live a long, fulfilling life as a prostheses user.

You’ve got this!