Lower leg amputation

A transtibial amputation refers to the (surgical) removal of the lower leg. The leg below the knee joint is removed. This allows the joint to continue to function properly, medium-heavy tasks can still be performed, and walking for longer distances and on uneven ground is still possible.

Nevertheless, this operation is a great challenge for the affected person as well as for the medical staff. It is absolutely necessary that comprehensive physical and psychological aftercare is offered afterwards. Once the lower leg has been amputated, this begins.

The aftercare ranges from a stay in a rehabilitation clinic to medical care of the remaining leg stump to consultation and familiarization with a prosthesis. Physiotherapeutic aftercare is also offered after this. The leg stump is mechanically resilient after about four to six weeks.

This is usually the beginning of gait training on a bar or with support from crutches. Local surgical corrections are carried out on the scar tissue in about one fifth of the amputations. The reason for an amputation is usually arterial occlusive disease, but often rapidly progressing diseases such as gas fire can also be the cause.

Risk factors that can lead to an amputation are severe diabetes mellitus, smoking and very high-fat food that is consumed over a long period of time.Many causes for amputation have in common that there is an undersupply of oxygen to the lower leg. This manifests itself in pain, dead tissue and skin lesions. A lower leg prosthesis is a replacement for the lower leg that is located outside the body and is used after amputations to compensate to a certain extent for the loss of the lower leg.

It is fixed below the knee and allows the affected person to walk. Experienced people usually hardly notice a prosthesis in everyday life. It is also possible to do sports.

A prosthesis is fixed to relatively pressure-insensitive areas of the residual limb. This includes the remaining sections of the tibia, the ligament structure between the two bones of the tibia, the patellar tendon and the remaining calf muscles. This does not include the bone ends of the calf and tibia.

These structures are more sensitive to pressure, which is why they can be particularly painful and the skin can often have sore spots. In the first few months after an amputation, the pain on the lower leg stump is stronger, but decreases over time. You also sweat more than usual.

This also gets better with increasing time. Depending on your needs, you can choose between various types of prosthesis. There are prostheses for everyday life, sports and other activities. You can find detailed information on this topic at Lower leg prosthesis