While successful rehabilitation is essential to improve the physical and mental outcomes for those with lower-limb amputations, individuals do have different goals and expectations of successful rehabilitation and experience issues that affect their quality of life.
A research team set out to determine factors affecting lower-limb prosthetic rehabilitation from people with amputations.
Ten people with amputations were self-selected from a survey identifying factors affecting lower-limb prosthetic rehabilitation. The telephone interviews were semi-structured, exploring the biggest impactors on and frustrations with rehabilitation and the socket. A thematic analysis was completed by following the undermentioned steps: familiarization, coding, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and reporting.
Results of the study showed that five distinct but interrelated themes were identified: external to prosthesis, body impactors, consequences of ill-fit, prosthesis irritants, and work and social impact. Those living with amputations mentioned prosthetic-related issues affecting their work and social life, including difficulties wearing their prosthesis all day, the socket’s rigidity, and the ability to participate in hobbies.
The study, “Issues Face by People with Amputation(s) during lower-limb rehabilitation,” was published in the journal Prosthetics and Orthotics International.
