How Liners Work
Liners play an important role in the comfort and health for prosthetic leg users. They fit over your residual limb and go between your limb and the socket (the socket is the shell that encases your limb and connects you to your prosthesis). If you use either a vacuum or a suction suspension system, you’ll also need a sealing sleeve.
The liner is a protective cover made of a flexible, cushioning material. Worn over your residual limb, it reduces movement and chafing between the skin and the socket. Liners are designed with specific characteristics to work with different suspension systems.
Selecting the right liner helps ensure that your prosthesis fits well and is comfortable to wear.
Solutions
Skeo = Silicone Liner
Skeo liners are made from silicone and provide a high level of stability and good adhesion, whilst remaining very durable. Silicone liners stabilise soft tissue and are easy to use, due to the low friction textile cover to the silky smooth exterior coating which is easy to clean.
Skeo = Silicone Liner
Skeo liners are made from silicone and provide a high level of stability and good adhesion, whilst remaining very durable. Silicone liners stabilise soft tissue and are easy to use, due to the low friction textile cover to the silky smooth exterior coating which is easy to clean.
Caleo = Copolymer liner
Caleo liners are made from copolymer which is a soft, comfortable and highly elastic material. These liners have thermoplastic properties and can therefore be thermoformed and adapted to the residual limb. Medical white oil in the material has a nourishing effect, making it ideal for patients with dry skin.
Uneo = Polyurethane liner
The Uneo liners ensure a precise and comfortable fit thanks to their outstanding flow properties. They help ensure excellent pressure distribution in the socket. Uneo liners dampen impact and cushion even sensitive, bony or scarred residual limbs.
Liner & skin care tips
Proper care of your products will ensure a long life. All sleeves and liners should be washed daily by hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need a liner for?
Think of a liner as a kind of stocking that you pull over your residual limb. It forms the connection between your residual limb and your prosthesis. A liner offers you a comfortable and secure hold for the prosthesis while helping to relieve and protect your residual limb.
How do you don a liner without a pin?
Check whether the residual limb and inside of the liner are dry before donning the liner. Then, please turn the liner inside out as far as possible and hold it so that the bulge at the lower end (cap) is facing you. Place this bulge at the end of your residual limb and roll the liner up evenly and carefully. You can then don the residual limb sock.
Avoid displacing soft tissue and forming wrinkles or air pockets. Do not pull on the edge of the liner or damage the surface with sharp fingernails or other sharp objects.
How do you don a liner with a pin?
The liner is donned just like a liner without a pin. However, please note: If there is a pin, it must point in the direction of the lengthwise axis of the residual limb. For better alignment, use markings that you and your Prosthetist have determined together for orientation. When you then don the residual limb sock, it must be pulled on in such a way that the pin remains free. The pin is pulled through the hole at the lower end of the sock.
Liners without a textile cover have a smooth exterior coating to make donning easier. For silicone liners (Skeo product range), you can also use a donning spray; for polyurethane liners (Uneo product range), there are special lubricating creams that you can apply. Please do not use any powder.
How do you take a liner off?
The liner is simply rolled down. Please ensure that the edge of the liner does not roll up into a bulge that compresses the tissue.
How do I wash my liner?
The liner should be cleaned after every use, at least once daily. Turn the liner inside out and wash it under lukewarm water with the special Derma Clean neutral cleaning lotion. Then rinse it thoroughly and dry the inside with a lint-free towel. Afterwards, turn the liner right side out again and clean the outside as well under running water or with a damp cloth.
Please note: Do not put the liner in the washing machine or dryer. Use only your hands and no other utensils to wash the liner. Do not use any soaps with scented or dye additives or any antibacterial cleaning agents containing alcohol.
How do I dry my liner?
Allow your liner to dry on the liner drying stand so that it keeps its shape. The stand is available in two sizes for thigh and lower leg liners. Please do not place your liner on a heater or in the sun to dry.
How can I take care of the skin on my residual limb?
You can prevent pressure points and abrasion with proper skin care. Mild cleansing: Use the special cleaning lotion to cleanse your skin. Simply spray it on, massage it into the skin, then rinse it off well and dry your skin.
Help for irritated skin: Apply a special basic skincare product in the evening after cleaning. It moisturises and soothes irritated skin, improves circulation and supports regeneration and cell growth.
Protection: If you wear a silicone liner (Skeo product range), you can rub a drop of the special skin protection onto your skin before putting the liner on. This protects the skin, has an antibacterial effect, and prevents excessive perspiration and odour formation.
I'm experiencing increased perspiration with my new liner. What might be causing this?
Perspiration may increase during the first few weeks in particular. You should therefore clean the liner several times a day; we also recommend having a replacement liner close to hand. If these measures do not lead to improvement, ask your Prosthetist for advice. There may be various reasons – from a poor liner fit to the wrong type of liner material.
There are red stripes on my skin at the height of the liner edge. What is the reason for this and what can I do about it?
Red stripes can appear with silicone liners, particularly in areas where the liner moves a lot on the skin, e.g. on the kneecap or at the edge of the liner. Please contact your Prosthetist, who will work with you to find a solution.
My liner contains the Skinguard antibacterial additive. Does this mean that I don’t need to clean the liner as often?
The Skinguard antibacterial additive protects the liner from bacteria and the resulting unpleasant odours. Skinguard supports hygiene, which cannot be achieved just by washing the liner daily. However, Skinguard is not a substitute for daily care. Daily cleaning is the only way to remove grease and oil, for example.
I’ve seen steam sterilisers for cleaning liners. Can I use one for my Ottobock liner as well?
Steam sterilisers are suitable only for cleaning silicone liners, and thus naturally for Ottobock’s Skeo products as well. However, in order to provide a customised fitting that meets your specific needs, we use other materials for some of our products, such as the Caleo and Uneo liners. These liners are not suitable for cleaning in steam sterilisers.
What is the QuickValve and how does it work?
The QuickValve is used in combination with a sealing sleeve or a liner with a lip (sealing liner) to generate a vacuum in the prosthetic socket. This reduces friction and shear forces during the swing phase. During the stance phase, your body weight pushes excess air in the prosthetic socket out of the socket through the valve. The expulsion valve can be opened manually by turning to allow you to take off the socket or to sit more comfortably.