Jessica To PT,MSPT August 14th, 2007 Physical Therapy – a little bit goes a loooong way!
You can do more than you think you can, when you get Physical Therapy after your amputation.
It may be easy to feel that once you’ve gotten your prosthesis you’ll be able to use it automatically and won’t need to see a physical therapist. But ah!!! Stop right there.
Physical Therapy does not stop after you leave the hospital and is best included in a patient’s treatment plan towards their goals. “Most patients do not receive their prosthesis at the time they leave the hospital after surgery. And they’ll need much education and training in caring for their residual limb, and also in managing and using the prosthesis once they get it”, says Jessica To, MSPT, at Body Kinetics Rehab (BKR), a physical therapy clinic in Annandale, VA.
Ms. To works with patients on how to manage their residual limb. She performs skin inspections when patients are first using their prosthesis, to prevent any skin breakdown and does prosthetic training, assessments and evaluations thereafter. She also teaches patients how to walk with their prosthesis, and for those who are former or new athletes, how to run with it.
While waiting for your prosthesis, find a physical therapist who can perform home assessments/evaluations and wheelchair assessments/evaluations to make sure you are able to perform your daily activities as independently as possible.
Then when you get your prosthesis, Ms. To advises, “It is very important that you get physical therapy – to learn how to use your prosthesis properly and prevent any bad habits from developing which can result in orthopedic related problems like hip and back pain”.
The right kind of physical therapy from therapists who specialize in working with amputee patients can make a difference in your life after amputation.
Body Kinetics Rehab (BKR) (http://www.BodyKineticsRehab.com) treats both adult and children who have had amputations due to trauma, diabetes or cancer. Their physical therapists have years of experience working with recently amputated patients and understand the aspects of the rehabilitation process for patients who have had an amputation.
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