Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month

Limb loss is often the result of cancer, vascular disease or trauma, but some people may also be born with limb differences. An average of 507 people in the U.S. will lose a limb every day. In 1945, at the end of World War II, a considerable number of soldiers were returning home with physical disabilities. Unemployment became their silent enemy. Recognizing the need to help these veterans find jobs, President Truman declared the first week of October each year as National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. 

Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness month spotlights the vital need to support efforts that advance equitable medical access, care, and coverage for people living with limb loss and limb differences. 

Under the light of LLLDAM’s 2022 theme - “Your Ordinary is Extraordinary” - we want to bring to your attention Timothy’s story, a successful case study where socket pressure technologies were used to better understand the patient's condition and to achieve a better socket fit. 

Timothy is currently retired. To make the most of his free time, he goes gardening in his backyard and shopping. Besides his hobbies, he cares for his beloved ones, two children and wife. Due to dysvascular complications, he had to undergo left transtibial amputation. Losing a limb is a significant event and Timothy’s case was complicated: his weight category (more than 330lbs) has historically limited his prosthetic foot selection. 

He had difficulty with rollover which made him feel like he had to “walk harder” with his prosthesis. The end of Timothy’s tibia is very broad and with sharp edges; it does not have tapering, typical of an ideal amputation. He experienced frequent skin breakdown and liner breakdown and would put in gel pads over the areas to help cover up the broken-down liner. This turned out to be a recurring issue since he began using prosthetics. 

He reported that it was taking up a lot of time for him to keep coming back for appointments to make changes all the time. With the help of INSIGHT technology, the prosthetist could verify that was completely offloaded and that he was having no contact with these areas. This insight not only helped the healthiness of his limb (no skin breakdown) but also contributed to his liners and socks lasting longer. 

Now he can go back to enjoy the activities that bring him happiness! 

“This is just great. I don’t think I will have to keep coming back, time after time, for small adjustments. This will help me focus on my family and taking care of them. Although I love coming in to see everyone, I don’t want to spend all my time here. I’m really excited about what I’ve learned about my leg today.” - Timothy