Rehabilitation of lower limb amputees

Rehabilitation of amputees represents a complex process during the course of which an amputee receives professional aid and support, so as to adapt to the use of prosthesis, i.e. an artificial supplement for the lost body part. The process aims at achieving an independent performance of the amputee in all areas of everyday life and as high quality of life as possible. The rehabilitation encompasses not only the pre-amputation, postoperative, pre-prosthetic and prosthetic stage, within which an amputee is provided with a prosthetic aiding device, but also the subsequent long-term monitoring and follow-up. The implementation of the rehabilitation process runs in line with the bio-psychosocial model and requires a multidisciplinary and an interdisciplinary approach, so as to achieve a successful reintegration of an amputee and allow for a lifestyle resembling the pre-amputation one as much as possible. The article brings the causes and types of amputation, the principles underpinning contemporary amputation surgery, prosthetics and rehabilitation during preoperative, postoperative, pre-prosthetic and prosthetic stages, as well as the stage goals and MOs of their attainment. Principles of evaluation of prosthetic rehabilitation outcomes in limb amputees, which make use of appraisal questionnaires, have been discussed as well.