Amputee

Pre-surgical rehabilitation (pre-hab) is a treatment plan that is completed before your surgery. Pre-hab is a way to prepare for an upcoming surgery by strengthening the body, therefore allowing for a quicker recovery period and making the procedure itself easier on the body. Your physical therapist will put together a pre-hab treatment plan that specifically addresses your needs. At Agility Physical Therapy, our amputee recovery program focuses on helping make the amputation process as easy as possible, both before and after surgery. This may include strength and range of motion exercises, in addition to learning how to manage your new custom device.

At Agility Physical Therapy, our amputee recovery programs are great ways to learn how to manage daily tasks with your new prosthesis and get used to your new movements. Prosthetic devices can help you move in ways you may have thought were lost. Your physical therapist can help you enhance your performance and give you advice on the proper forms and techniques of movement with your new device. If you are looking to get back into the activities you love with your new prosthesis, our Venice, FL physical therapists can help you achieve that.

It is highly recommended that amputees receive massage therapy in conjunction with beginning prosthetic training and ongoing prosthetic use. This can help prevent muscle strain, tightness, and related pain symptoms that may develop due to alterations in posture and biomechanics combined with the new demands placed on the muscles directly and indirectly involved.

Some of the reported benefits of massage therapy include:

• Reduced swelling,
• Increased circulation,
• Less muscle stiffness,
• Reduced scar tissue tightness,
• Reduced spasms,
• Increased muscle length,
• Less pain,
• Decreased anxiety and stress,
• Longer sleep,
• Increased relaxation,

Common Amputee Conditions Treatable by Massage Therapy:

• Phantom Limb Pain
• Residual Limb Pain
• Hypersensitivity
• Muscle Tightness, Stiffness, and Spasms (Contractures)
• Scar Tissue Effects (tightness, itching, or pain)
• Swelling
• Poor Blood Circulation

Getting physical therapy after your surgery and during your adjustment of your prosthesis is essential.

You and your physical therapist will work together to create a treatment plan that will help you reach your goals, and he or she will assist you in increasing your strength, endurance, and flexibility with your new custom device.

Additionally, physical therapy can help in significantly speeding up your recovery time after an amputation. The treatments prescribed by our Venice, FL physical therapists will help to improve not just muscle endurance for activity, but also your aerobic capacity for activity, both of which will reduce fatigue as a risk factor for falls.

Strength training is an important part of building endurance after an amputation. Muscle weakness in the affected area around your prosthesis is often a primary contributing factor to poor balance and falls.

This can also lead to muscle weakness in other areas of the body, such as the hips or core. With strength and balance training, patients are better equipped to recover from unexpected perturbations or a momentary loss of balance to prevent falls and allow for longer periods of movement.

By building strength, you will be able to maneuver life with your new prosthetic device much easier, as your body will be fully recovered and capable of handling the demands of daily life.

At Agility Physical Therapy, we want you to be able to live life without limitations – to be able to enjoy physical activities, move with ease, and even navigate uneven terrains without fear of falling. This all begins with balance training.

Balance and gait training exercises will be prescribed based on your needs with your respective prosthetic device. These training exercises will include activities to not only improve gait mechanics, but also increase your confidence and safety in navigating across different terrains and around different obstacles.