Amputee
This document is written for individuals with arm and/or leg amputations and ‘amputation’ will be used to refer to a limb deficiency as a consequence of trauma, illness or it may be congenital.
The main goals of Fit for Life are to improve function for daily living and to stop the onset of a variety of problems associated with inactivity. Your individual goals may be large or small and may include walking to the shops without getting out of breath, the ability to play football with your kids or maybe even to take up a new exercise class. Whatever you wish to achieve, getting to grips with the basics is a great place to start.
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Richard Whitehead
3 x Paralympics GB athlete.
London 2012 - T42 200m: Gold.
Rio 2016 - T42 200m: Gold and T42 100m: Silver.
Tokyo 2020 - T61 200m: Silver.
Previous double leg amputee World Record holder for the marathon and half-marathon.
As an athlete I have travelled the world to compete in various events and have taken part in a number of physical challenges such as John O’Groats to Land’s End (40 marathons in 40 days). To achieve these goals I have had to overcome barriers that have been put in front of me due to my impairment. Not everybody wants to be an athlete, and everyone has different goals: yours may be to join a sports club, learn to run using your new prosthesis, or simply to get fit and healthy but whatever they are, don’t let anything get in your way. I am a strong believer in living life without limits.
Key Points to Consider
- If you are new to exercise as an amputee, especially if you are pregnant or experience other medical conditions, you should seek advice from your Prosthetic Centre and/or a health care professional such as your general practitioner or physiotherapist. They should provide you with further advice regarding the amount of physical activity and exercise that is appropriate for you in the early stages.
- You do not need a sport-specific prosthetic (or ‘blade’) to exercise because your everyday leg will cope with most things. Once you are fit and exercising, or taking part in sport regularly, you may find that your prosthesis is holding you back. This is the time to talk to your prosthetist.
- Be prepared to modify an activity or exercise if you need to and remember nothing is off limits!
- If you choose to go to a local leisure centre or gym, ask for an induction (if you are not offered one) so that you become familiar with the equipment and environment. If an exercise instructor is unsure how to help ask them to contact your Prosthetic Centre for advice.
- The exercises you do will be different if you are using your prosthesis or if you take it off to exercise. Ask your prosthetic physio for advice and an initial exercise programme for when you are using it as well as when you are not so you have the choice and variety.
- If it isn’t long since you lost your arm or your leg, or you are not using your prosthesis, your balance will be affected so think about the position you are exercising in and make sure you are safe.
An amputation can cause an imbalance between one side of the body and the other, muscle tightness due to compensating for your amputation, or changes in posture. Your goal should therefore be to try and keep the affected joints and muscles as supple as the non-affected joints and to maintain ‘normal’ ranges of motion. Stretching the muscles of your trunk, whether you have an arm or leg amputation will reduce the chance of back problems, aches and pains.
With leg amputations the muscles around the hip can become quite tight with an increase in the amount of sitting and/or a reduction in walking. These muscles often require more attention, especially your hip flexors (the muscles that move your thigh closer to your trunk).
Stump Care
If you are working hard, it is essential to take extra care to avoid your stump getting sore.
When you exercise your stump can shrink even if it has been stable for years. Make sure you have plenty of socks with you so that you can add more if needed. If your stump does shrink, it can react by swelling up when you remove your prosthesis so use a compression sock after your shower until you are ready to put your prosthesis back on.
Perspiration may build up while you are exercising and can cause skin irritation or blisters. Follow these tips to help prevent this:
- Ensure you wash your stump regularly and dry it well prior to putting your prosthesis on.
- Wear clean stump socks daily. If necessary, change them if damp or add extra ones when exercising.
- Regularly check your stump for soreness, redness or broken skin when exercising.
- Don’t use talcum powder (it can form clumps when damp) but other anti-perspirant products may help. Always patch test before you use them. Ask at your limb centre for advice.
- If you have any persistent problems go and see your prosthetist, a slight adjustment may be all you need.
Wound Healing
Hopefully if you use a prosthesis for exercising it won’t cause you any problems. Unfortunately, there may be times when things don’t go quite to plan straight away and sores can be a problem. Eating a well-balanced diet with plenty of variety during these times is really important. If the sore is more serious you may need to increase your protein intake a little to provide some extra to aid repair. Energy requirements may also increase at such times. Discussion with a sports or clinical dietitian may be useful if you do have problems.
Wheelchair Users
When propelling a wheelchair, your wheels, and therefore hands, come into contact with any number of things that may have been on the floor. Please be careful to sanitise your hands prior to eating, or touching your eyes, nose or mouth to help prevent the spread of germs. Small bottles of hand sanitiser or wet wipes are easy to carry in your pocket or bag and are useful for this purpose.