When choosing a prosthetic leg, it’s vital to perform extensive research on the different types and manufacturers. It’s quite an investment, so you want to ensure you’re getting your money’s worth in terms of durability and quality. If you’re looking for a prosthetic leg in Portland, contact us at Eastside Orthotics Prosthetics.
How do prosthetic limbs work?
To understand how prosthetics work, you need to understand the different type of prosthetics. Some prosthetic limbs replace the entire limb, including any joints such as the knee, and these are more complex than ones that only replace a section of the limb (without joints). Incorporating an artificial joint mimics the complex biomechanical systems our bodies use at joints, so often consists of things like microprocessors to receive signals from muscles.
Even simple things like standing or walking involve several muscles working together with the knee joint to adjust the position of your feet and legs. When you’re in motion such as sprinting, this becomes even more complex, where your knee has to flex a certain way to minimize pressure and impact on your bones. This is why a lot of older generation artificial limbs failed because the different parts couldn’t coordinate together to perform the movement.
Now prosthetics contain microprocessors where we can program how the limb and joint should behave for different motions. They consist of sensors that send signals about things like pressure and alignments of different parts and motors that respond accordingly. If you need a specific type of prosthetic leg in Portland, call us for a free evaluation.
How do I choose the best prosthetic for me?
The location and type of amputation constrain your choice. If there is extensive damage to your entire limb, you’ll have to replace it entirely, which includes the joints. Sometimes, you may only have to replace just a part of your leg or arm, without an artificial joint. These aren’t as technically complex as full limbs, so they cost less.
Your physical activity level and the nature of your lifestyle are also crucial factors in choosing the type of limb. There are different prosthetics to suit different kinds of people. For example, prosthetics for professional sports are different and more advanced than for regular people. So, you must weigh your needs against the associated costs of prosthetics.
How to survive the heat with prosthetic limbs
With prosthetics, you want to care of them regularly during the changing seasons to avoid damage to the prosthetic itself or the skin in the amputation site. Sometimes, heavy sweating can cause your prosthetic to become loose. Changing your prosthetics socks regularly will keep your prosthetic in place and irritation at bay.
After a long sweaty day, ensure you clean out prosthetics socks daily. This will kill any bacteria built up from the sweat and minimize the risk of infections at the amputation site. There are also special antiperspirants available for prosthetic limbs that you can use.
Do you need a prosthetic leg in Portland? Eastside Orthotics Prosthetics utilizes cutting-edge materials and technology to deliver the highest quality prosthetics.