The Geriatric Amputee

The geriatric amputee.

1 Chief, Orthopaedic Service, Veterans Administration Center, Wilshire and Sawtelle Blvds., Los Angeles, Calif. 90073. The geriatric amputee not infrequently suffers from debilitating diseases other than the one which caused his amputation. These affect his prognosis for life, for retention of his other leg, his ability to use a prosthesis, the performance of activities of daily living, his par...

The problem of the geriatric amputee.

Commentary on Troedsson's 1964 article "Stump arterial circulation and its relationship to the prescription of a prosthesis for the geriatric patient".

T he primary purpose of the Research Program in Pros-thetics, inaugurated by the Surgeon General of the Army in 1945 and now supported by the Veterans Administration and other agencies, has been to improve or construct artificial limbs that would enable the amputee to assume his place in society with a minimum loss of function. Although research has been mainly devoted to fitting the young, vig...

Below the knee amputation for ischemic gangrene. Comparative results of conventional operation and immediate postoperative fitting technic.

The most critical factor in rehabilitation of the geriatric lowerextremity amputee on a prosthesis is preservation of the knee joint. Several reported series have established that most amputations below the knee will heal despite extensive vascular occlusive disease [I-41. Satisfactory healing appears to be a direct result of attention to atraumatic surgical detail, especially in the careful ma...

Physiotherapy following through-knee amputation.

Physiotherapeutic treatment considerations specific to the through-knee amputee are presented. Treatment is determined by the assessment findings. The physiotherapy programme includes post-operative exercises, early weight-bearing, bed to chair transfers, bandaging techniques, the counteracting of contractures and gait training. Physiotherapy is a vital part of the rehabilitation of through-kne...