Amputation ; Early mobilization ; Fracture healing
Abstract
Lower limb amputation due to an external injury is commonly accompanied by fractures in the
other limb, and this results in delayed mobilization with prosthetic fitting of the amputee side
until complete healing of the fracture. Many cases often result in a poor rehabilitative outcome
as excessive immobilization causes muscle atrophy, joint contracture, synovial adhesions,
and cartilage degeneration. A 75-year-old man had a crush injury and underwent transtibial
amputation of the right leg and external fixator insertion for the left tibial shaft open fracture.
From postoperative day 7, early standing training was performed by applying the prosthesis on
the right leg and orthosis on the left leg to control the weight load. One year later, this geriatric
patient could walk independently. This case report reveals an exemplary good outcome of early
standing training in a geriatric patient for complicated lower limb amputation with other limb
fractures.