Amputations

Having one’s limb removed, cut-off, amputated, or completely disconnected from the body is usually a traumatic event. It changes one’s sense of wholeness and introduces one to a world in which the missing part defines them. It also introduces the challenge of language: having to re-wire the mind to accept the obvious “disability.”

There are many reasons why limbs are cut off. These include traumatic injuries like road traffic accidents, industrial accidents, infections, especially in diabetic conditions, flesh-eating bacteria, cancers like osteosarcoma (cancer of the bone). All these falls under the acquired disability category. Another reason one may miss a limb is being born that way.

Different situations present different challenges. Having to tell a story of why you are missing an area of your body is not always easy. It is sometimes a very uncomfortable situation. It challenges the concept of what is considered normal. It also introduces limitations like using crutches for support, never wearing high heels, and participating in some sports.

Have you, however, thought of seeking help in this area? Redefining what wholeness/completeness and ability look like. Well, it’s about time. Prosthetics (artificial limbs) have changed many of these stories into hopeful tales. By acquiring the right prosthetic limb and being helped to use one, many have returned to what they would call normal functionally and cosmetically.

Well, we are bringing these products close home; with the help of our prosthetist and able orthopedic team, we are aiming at helping you to go back to standing again, to walking again, to running again. Martin Bionics manufactures our limbs. They are light, insulated, and cosmetically acceptable for our population. Our team guides you through the whole process from pre-surgery, post-surgery, pre-prosthesis till you are comfortable walking again.

Visit us at Machakos Orthopedics Clinic.