Lower Limb Amputation

About Lower Limb Amputation

Lower limb amputation is the surgical removal of part or all of a leg or foot. The most common reasons in developed countries are peripheral arterial disease and complications of diabetes, such as non healing ulcers, gangrene and severe infection. Other indications include major trauma, bone and soft tissue tumors and congenital conditions. Levels range from removal of a toe or part of the foot to below knee, through knee and above knee amputation. The surgeon chooses the lowest level at which healing is likely, since preserving the knee joint generally makes walking with a prosthesis easier and less energy demanding. The operation involves dividing the bone, shaping muscle and skin flaps to cushion the end of the limb, and managing nerves and blood vessels. In the presence of severe infection it may be performed in stages. Rehabilitation and prosthetic fitting are essential parts of care, involving physical therapists and prosthetists. Amputation has been practiced since antiquity, and advances in surgery, anesthesia and prosthetic design have greatly changed outcomes.