Important Questions to Ask Your Prosthetist Choosing leg prosthesis is an exciting time filled with possibilities. The idea of getting back to your regular life is overwhelming and a welcome proposition. Through the excitement, it is easy to miss a few important details that may hinder or slow down your integrating back to your old life. To avoid costly mistakes, there are a few important questions you should ask your prosthetist. Keep in mind how well the prosthetic leg performs entirely depends on how it was made and who made it.
How Heavy Will The Leg Be? Prosthetic legs range between light and heavy duty. The internal components are what determine the weight of the prosthesis, and have an impact on the activity level. Discuss the activities you intend on engaging in to determine the ideal prosthetic weight. A good prosthetic company tries to strike the balance between light-weight and a prosthetic that allows you the highest activity level.
How Do I Deal With Sweat and Prosthesis? Most new amputees sweat more than normal especially around the residual limb. The effort of learning to walk in the artificial leg coupled with the new environment the residual limb find itself can cause you to perspire more than normal. This problem typically goes away as you get used to your artificial limb. If not, the prosthetist can recommend an antiperspirant to help with the issue.
Can I get A Prosthesis that looks like the Other Leg? Fortunately, advancements in the industry mean that prosthetic legs are now more realistic than ever before. If aesthetics is important to you, your prosthetist should make a cosmetic skin cover to match your other leg. Not all prosthetic companies offer this kind of technology so you may have to switch suppliers if this is a deal breaker. While at it, a removable cover is a good choice since you likely won’t need the aesthetics all the time. Don’t be afraid to raise concerns about how you look. The technology today is designed to make prosthetics both functional and visually appealing.
How Long Will The Leg Last? There are a number of factors that affect how long a prosthetic limb lasts. These factors include body weight, activity level, artificial limb components and wear and tear. You may also need to have the socket changed or modified as your residual limb changes in size or volume. Overall, the prosthetic should be made from high quality material and fit properly to guarantee a long life. Still, it is advisable that you have the prosthetic checked for safety by a prosthetist at least once every six months. Major problems can be detected and fixed before the leg breaks completely.
Conclusion These are just some of the major areas you should cover with your prosthetic company. The idea is to get a leg prosthesis that lasts a long time, and allows you to fully integrate to your old life. For more information visit here https://www.medeastortho.com/