The end result expectations are never really talked about very much in the prosthetic industry. Generally when an above knee amputee enters a prosthetic facility they can see pictures of above knee amputees running in the Para Olympics, but is that the end result?
Well, first of all, there is a difference between running for 15 seconds on a sophisticated above knee artificial leg, and going about your day to day life with your artificial leg. Any kind of super fast motion (like running) does take a special type of leg with a special type of knee unit or at least a knee unit that has had its hydraulic system maxed out. Generally the end result for an above knee amputee can be pretty good if the amputee is willing to work at it.
1) You can wear your leg all day long, and have no desire to pull it off prematurely
2) You can do most of the daily routines that you did before. If you were working at a job that was not
too physically demanding before, you can still do it. You can shop and take care of your living quarters.
3) You can get your leg on fairly quickly in the morning and not think about it most of the day
4) You can walk long distances unaided. Walking is not a torturous thing (like it may have been when you first started using a prosthesis). If you
choose, you should be able to handle a day at the zoo, or a round of golf with a cart (or maybe without a cart, for some above knee amputees). By the way, a good result for a single above knee amputee with the healthy leg in good condition is unaided walking. There should be no need for canes and crutches for the single above knee amputee. If there are above knee amputees out there that are double amputees and walking, email Above Knee Amputee™ and tell us how things are going !!
5) You will be comfortable and you can be outside for extended periods of time
6) If you have to, you can take stairs, but slower than able-bodied people
7) You can travel without too much worry
8) You will find that some people don't notice anything is wrong right away
9) You can dance, but you will have to compensate some
10) You can drive without special adaptive equipment
11)
Above knee amputee women can have children and look after their children
themselves
1) Running (unless you have a revved up prosthesis)
2) Taking stairs foot over foot (use elevators and escalators when possible)
3) Any kind of quick movements (all leg amputees have this problem due to a missing foot, but above knee amputees will be a little slower).
4) "Hiding" the fact that you have something different about yourself when around the same people for an extended time. The amputation is hard to hide continuously. Below knee amputees tend to have people around them for years that don't know they have a problem. For above knee amputees, it is not obvious what is wrong, but people will generally eventually notice that you walk a little different.
1) Strenuous activity. An above knee amputee expends approximately 3 times as much energy walking as able-bodied people. Therefore he/she will tend to avoid additional strenuous activity when possible. For example, if the amputee is working, doing the lawn work every week may be something that he/she should not do. Everybody has limited energy in a given day. For an above knee amputee his/her energy gets "used up" faster. So, there has to be "picking and choosing" as to what to spend the energy on. If the amputee is working full time (with other able bodied people), this by itself will tend to provide plenty of activity and significant weekly activity above that may be too much. The energy equation is another good reason to get the best result with prosthesis as possible. A better result yields lower energy consumption
2) Any kind of super long distance walking. We are talking 5-mile hikes and things like that. Now, we know there are some of you out there that are very active, so email AboveKneeAmputee.com™ and tell us what you are doing. But, for an average end result, an above knee amputee will probably not choose a weekend of hiking for enjoyment.
3) Kneeling is generally not done, though again some above knee amputees do kneel. Generally even if you can, your prosthesis is not really set up to take the pressure that way.
O.K. if any of you above knee amputees out there have anything that you want to add to the list, or if you think something needs to be deleted, email AboveKneeAmputee.com™ with your suggestions !!!!