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Summary
People can lose all or part of an arm or leg for a number of reasons. Common ones include:
- Problems with blood circulation. These may be the result of atherosclerosis or diabetes. Severe cases may result in amputation.
- Injuries, including from traffic accidents and military combat
- Cancer
- Birth defects
Some amputees have phantom pain, which is the feeling of pain in the missing limb. Other physical problems include surgical complications and skin problems, if you wear an artificial limb. Many amputees use an artificial limb. Learning how to use it takes time. Physical therapy can help you adapt.
Recovery from the loss of a limb can be hard. Sadness, anger, and frustration are common. If you are having a tough time, talk to your doctor. Treatment with medicine or counseling can help.
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Amputations (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - PDF
- Diabetic Complications and Amputation Prevention (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
Living With
- Emotional Recovery (Amputee Coalition of America)
- Management of Residual Limb Pain (Amputee Coalition of America)
- Rehabilitation After Limb Amputation (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
- When a Parent Loses a Limb: Helping Children Cope (Amputee Coalition of America) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Importance of Gait Training (Amputee Coalition of America) - PDF
- Residual Limb Pain (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Tips for Taking Care of Your Limb (Amputee Coalition of America)
- Wound Care: Preventing Infection (Amputee Coalition of America) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Amputation (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Amputation, Traumatic (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Amputees (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Artificial Limbs (National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Phantom Limb (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Advantages of customization of osseointegrated implants in transfemoral amputees: a comparative...
- Article: Robotic-Enhanced Prosthetic Liners for Vibration Therapy: Reducing Phantom Limb Pain in...
- Article: L Test Subtask Segmentation for Lower-Limb Amputees Using a Random Forest...
- Limb Loss -- see more articles
Children
- Missing or Incompletely Formed Limbs (Merck & Co., Inc.)
Older Adults
- Coping with Aging and Amputation (Amputee Coalition of America)
Patient Handouts
- Foot amputation - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Leg amputation - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Leg or foot amputation (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Leg or foot amputation - dressing change (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Phantom limb pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Traumatic amputation (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish