There are more than two million people in the U.S. living with an amputated limb, and another 400 are added each day. | Adobe Stock
There are more than two million people in the U.S. living with an amputated limb, and another 400 are added each day. | Adobe Stock
People who have suffered through an amputation face a formidable challenge to adjust to their life after losing a limb.
In America, there are over two million people living with an amputated limb and another 400 are added daily, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) news release said recently.
That is why UNLV physical therapy researcher Szu-Ping Lee involved herself with research on how to make the adjustment as fast as possible with the right mindset.
“Vascular diseases and diabetes are becoming more common and one of the long-term consequences is amputation,” Lee said in the release. “It is important that clinicians like prosthetists and physical therapists apply the newest science so that their patients can learn faster and retain the skills that they learned better.”
Critical to accomplishing the feat of having a patient’s confidence restored is them being attentive during rehabilitation.
Lee believes that there should be a shift in the ongoing current practice of focusing on patients contracting their muscles and moving their joints. She noted that the key to learning how to use a new limb and regaining confidence in movement has less to do with the prosthesis itself and more to do with the mind. During rehabilitation, patients can learn new skills more effectively and quickly by maintaining the proper attentional focus.
“With the wrong kind of focus or instruction being used during physical therapy, the consequences can be catastrophic–the artificial leg becomes a paperweight in a closet,” Lee said. “We want to advance clinical practice and that’s the ultimate goal. We want physical therapy to get better and better for the patients.”
Alerts Sign-up