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Every person¡¯s recovery journey is unique after experiencing limb loss and receiving a prosthesis. The following guide ¡ª compiled by certified prosthetist orthotists from Shirley Ryan ÿÈÕ´ó¹Ï¡¯s Prosthetics & Orthotics team ¡ª outlines common experiences and milestones many patients encounter during the first year after amputation.

Immediately following your amputation surgery, you will be in a place of healing and recovery. You may experience:

• Pain

• Swelling

• Fatigue

• Phantom limb pain or phantom limb sensation

Your medical team can speak to you about different treatment options to manage these symptoms.

During this initial phase, it is important to take care of your residual limb ¡ª the part of the arm or leg that remains after an amputation ¡ª and follow skin care instructions closely. Your physician may recommend starting compression to control swelling.

As you prepare to receive your prosthesis, there are a few steps that need to happen prior to starting prosthetic fitting:  

• You must be cleared by the surgeon or doctor overseeing your care to begin prosthetic fitting.   

• Your sutures or staples must be removed, and your limb should be free of wounds. 

• Your limb should be well shaped (ideally, conical in shape ¡ª smaller at the bottom and wider at the top). 

• Lower-limb amputation: You should be able to stand for approximately 10 minutes and hop approximately 10 feet with an assistive device. 

• Upper-limb amputation: You should be able to withstand pressure on your residual limb and demonstrate adequate movement of your residual limb.   

Once you are ready to begin prosthetic fitting, you will meet with your prosthetist for a formal evaluation appointment. The timeline for getting a prosthesis will vary for each person, but the general steps are:

After you¡¯ve received your prosthesis, you will have frequent check-ins with your prosthetist for the first year to make sure it is fitting and functioning well.

There are some things we expect to see happen within your first year:

Your residual limb will change and mature.

Your limb will shrink in size and change in shape. We call this ¡°maturation¡± of your limb. Patients with a below-knee amputation may see a more prominent ¡°bump¡± at the bottom of the limb. This is your shin bone, and often it will become more prominent as swelling decreases and muscles settle.

You will become stronger!

As you work in physical and occupational therapy, things will become easier. It is okay if tasks are challenging in the beginning. Your therapists will help you identify strategies to make them easier. Your prosthetist may make changes to the alignment of your prosthesis as you progress.

You will learn new skills.

As you navigate your home, work and community life, you will learn how to adapt to different activities using your prosthesis. Keep in mind, the best predicter for how you will do following amputation is how active you were before amputation. For example, if you used a cane prior to amputation, the goal will be to get you back to walking with a cane.

You will learn how to care for and maintain your prosthesis.

Here are a few simple tips for caring for your prosthetic limb:

• Use soap and water to clean your liners and sleeves each day to prevent skin irritations.

• Use skin-friendly soap and let the supplies air dry.

• Store your liner with the fabric or words facing out.

• Continue to wear your shrinker whenever you are not wearing your prosthesis.

• Follow your prosthetist¡¯s guidance on how to care for the supplies and components of your prosthesis, including:
  • Proper sock ply management
  • Proper footwear
  • Recommended service timelines for components including knees, feet, elbows and upper-limb terminal devices

Watch for these issues and contact your prosthetist or physician if needed.

• Skin issues
  • Perform a skin check every time you remove your prosthesis.
  • Watch for bruising or redness at the bottom of your limb or at bony areas, as well as for rashes or skin irritations.
  • If you ever have an open wound or blister, do not wear your prosthesis and call your prosthetist.
  • It is important to bring these skin issues to your prosthetist¡¯s attention so they can make adjustments; discuss proper use and care of your prosthesis; and help identify root causes.

• Sweating
  • Your limb will sweat. and that is normal! Talk to your prosthetist or doctor about different products or treatments to help with excessive sweating.

• Squeaking, clicking or beeping noise
  • If you ever hear a new noise from your prosthesis when in use, like when walking, it is important to tell your prosthetist.
  • Also, if your prosthesis has any electronic components and you hear a beeping noise when you don¡¯t expect to hear one, contact your prosthetist.

Throughout the entire process ¡ª following amputation through pre-prosthesis training, prosthetic fitting and long-term care and maintenance ¡ª it¡¯s important to contact your prosthetist, physical or occupational therapist, or physician with any questions.

Through a multidisciplinary approach, Shirley Ryan ÿÈÕ´ó¹Ï¡¯s team collaborates with patients to provide them with the right device for their individual ability goals. Services are available for patients across Shirley Ryan ÿÈÕ´ó¹Ï¡¯s continuum of care: inpatient, DayRehab and outpatient locations in downtown Chicago and throughout the suburbs.

Diana Pressney, CPO, is a certified prosthetist orthotist and the manager of clinical operations for Prosthetics & Orthotics at Shirley Ryan ÿÈÕ´ó¹Ï. She has extensive experience providing prosthetic and orthotic care across the continuum.

Diana has been with Shirley Ryan ÿÈÕ´ó¹Ï since 2016. She collaborates closely with physicians, physical and occupational therapists, rehabilitation engineers and nursing teams to ensure that prosthetic and orthotic interventions align with each patient¡¯s medical status, functional goals and rehabilitation plan.

In her current leadership role, Diana oversees clinical quality, workflow optimization and clinician support within a large multidisciplinary department. She is passionate about supporting and developing clinicians; strengthening clinical practice; and making complex rehabilitation and insurance concepts understandable and actionable for patients and their families. Diana¡¯s work is rooted in patient?centered care, functional success and informed decision?making throughout the rehabilitation process.

Sara Hutchinson, CPO, is a certified prosthetist orthotist and the clinical coordinator of Prosthetics & Orthotics at Shirley Ryan ÿÈÕ´ó¹Ï, where she has been a member of the clinical team since 2016. As a CPO, Sara combines advanced clinical expertise with day-to-day leadership to support high-quality, patient centered care across the department.

Clinically, Sara has broad experience in the evaluation, design, fitting and follow-up of prosthetic and orthotic devices for individuals with a wide range of diagnoses and functional needs.  She enjoys working with patients with limb loss or limb differences, including those with lower-limb amputation, upper-limb amputations, and multi-limb amputations.

In her role as clinical coordinator, Sara plays a key part in supporting clinical workflows, care consistency, and interdisciplinary communication within a large, complex Prosthetics & Orthotics practice. She serves as a resource for clinicians ¡ª helping to guide decision making, problem-solving complex cases and ensuring that care delivery remains grounded in best practice and patient safety.