Amputation rehab: What to expect

At first, your hospital care team will only losely bandage your residual limb to avoid putting any additional pressure on your wound and stitches. They’ll regularly change this bandage as they monitor you. 

Once your doctor or surgeon decides you’re ready, your care team will then wrap your wound in a tighter dressing that fits snugly to your residual limb. This is called “compression therapy,” which helps reduce pain, heal your scar, improve blood flow, and reduce swelling. It also helps shape your residual limb for your future prosthetic. 

Your care team will typically apply this helpful pressure one of two ways. 

Compression bandage

This adjustable elastic bandage is designed to wrap around your residual limb, applying firm pressure that decreases toward your body. The wrap can then be adjusted as needed throughout the day. 

Putting on a compression bandage can take some practice and experience. In most cases, someone on your care team will help you apply it at first, then teach you how to do so yourself. A compression bandage should never be painfully tight or cut off feeling in your residual limb.

Silicone liners

These devices are a quick, easy-to-use alternative to a compression bandage, and come in many ready-made sizes. 

If you and your care team decide to try a silicone liner, always make sure that no air is trapped at the end of the liner once you put it on. This will help ensure your liner applies pressure to your wound as evenly as possible. 

You may also find that your residual limb sweats more when you wear a silicone liner. This typically stops after you’ve gotten used to the device. To avoid skin irritation, try applying a product like Ottobock Derma Prevent to your skin at the edge of the liner. Make sure you also clean your liner regularly according the instructions for use.

Your care team will typically have you continue compression therapy until they can tell that your residual limb is no longer changing size (a sign that the swelling is gone). During this time, they’ll train you or your caregiver to use your compression bandage or silicone liner at home. 

Once your care team decides you can stop compression therapy, you’ll be ready for an important new step: trying out your first prosthesis!

After surgery, you’ll naturally want to put your residual limb in the most comfortable, least painful position possible. You may rest it on a pillow or prop it up in some way.

While this may help reduce your pain at first, it can also cause your remaining arm muscles to shorten and stiffen. This can limit the amount of mobility you’re able to achieve later on. Over time, your hospital care team will encourage you to leave your residual limb extended by your side as much as possible when you’re not exercising or caring for it.

As soon as possible after your surgery, your care team will also encourage you to start moving your residual limb a few times every day. This exercise can help improve your mobility, balance, and circulation, and also help you achieve the greatest range of motion possible once you start using a prosthetic.

It’s particularly important to get your shoulder moving again (if possible), because it may otherwise stiffen and limit your ability to move your arm. Your care team will show you how to move and position your residual limb in ways that best support your recovery, healing, and preparation for a prosthesis.

As you start to move your residual limb again, you may notice that having an upper limb difference can affect other parts of your body too. 

For example, it’s normal to feel some strain on your back. That’s because your body’s weight and balance have shifted and your muscles need time to get used to the change. 

You can help by regularly exercising your upper body, shoulders, torso, and legs. Doing so can help your body adapt to its new balance, strengthen important muscles that support your residual limb, and set you up for greater independence after your recovery.

After you lose a hand or arm, you may soon find you need to rely on your remaining limb in many new ways (especially if you’ve lost your dominant hand). 

As you work on strengthening your residual limb, your care team will also show you some useful ways to build new skills on your sound side. These may include important daily activities – like brushing your teeth, typing, or using a smartphone – that you may want to be comfortable doing one-handed.

After your amputation, the skin on your residual limb may be uncomfortably sensitive. There are a few ways you can reduce that discomfort:

• Gently rub or tap your skin with a soft brush or a spiky massage ball. This will help slowly increase the amount of pressure your skin can take. 

• Gently rub down your residual limb with a bathtowel or washcloth.

• Whichever you try, aways start at the end of your residual limb and work toward your body.

Keeping your residual limb clean is also very important. Wash it every day with lukewarm water and an unscented, skin-friendly soap. 

Ottobock offers several care products that can help you clean your skin or scar. Or, you can ask your prosthetist for recommendations.