FootPrintstm
How to beat the summer heat wearing your prosthesis
By Jeffrey Ropp, C.P.
Its Hot, Hot, Hot and you are too, so what do you do when part of your cooling system is lost and the rest of the limb has been enclosed within a liner or sleeve in a prosthesis and you need to cool off? Most people know how to keep their bodies cool, but when wearing a prosthesis that is warmer on the inside than outside what do you do? When perspiration causes the looseness of the connection between you and your prosthesis, then some special hints, tricks and tips on things that can keep you from having the prosthesis slip or fall off. These are helpful items that have worked for some patients and may help you.
If the perspiration is from your thigh above the liner or sleeve you are wearing then try adding a sweat band above it to absorb the moisture before gravity allows it to flow down into your prosthesis.
Try changing soaps. Both Lever 2000 and Zest have been recommended to help diminish the perspiration and to control the wetness.
If you are wearing a liner, pinlock or non-pinlock against your skin and feel that there is too much looseness as well as wetness, then a Liner-Liner may be the best item for you. The Liner-Liner is a thin absorbent sock that will wick away moisture from your skin and keep your leg dryer. It also contains silver woven into the threads of the material that offers anti-odor properties and helps to keep your limb smelling better. This is sold by prosthetists and you need a prescription for a sock or several socks and it is one of the few things here that is covered by Medicare and other insurances.
Use an antiperspirant on your skin. There are several choices here which range from ones bought from your local drug store to those that need a prescription.
Arrid Extra Dry– buy this without the scent in it. Local drug store purchase.
Secret Platinum– also buy unscented. Local drug store purchase.
Certain Dri Anti-Perspirant Roll-On– This is a newer product that is prescription strength, but is sold over the counter. It is suppose to give 72 hr. protection when applied at night. Local drug store purchase.
Alps Anti-Perspirant– This is a spray that is sold by prosthetists and contains twice the aluminum chlorohydrate that is found in most over the counter brands of lotions. Prosthetists sell this.
Drysol– This is a prescription antiperspirant in the United States, and it contains about 20% of aluminum chlorohydrate. Must have a doctors prescription to purchase from drug store.
Alum sticks– This is a product that has ground alum in it which needs to be wet and applied to the limb. The minerals coat the limb and help to stop the odor and perspiration that can occur. I have found these online and go by the name of Natural Crystals. The product is suppose to last for up to a years use and come in 4.25 oz. and 2 oz. sticks.
*Note: with all of these items mentioned, they may cause skin irritation and when you first start to use them. You may want to try them on other areas of your body first to make sure that you do not have any adverse reactions to them before putting them on the skin where you don your prosthesis.
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When to Replace Your Prosthesis or Its Parts (Note: reprinted from ACA website)
Your prosthesis needs to fit well and match your lifestyle. This is important for people of all ages and activity levels. Over the years, you may need to replace your prosthesis or its parts. These changes will be made by a prosthetist who knows how your body works and has the technical skills to build a prosthesis just right for you.
You might need to replace your prosthesis when:
You have gained a lot of weight
Prosthetic components (parts) no longer work the way they should
Your activity level changes and the prosthesis no longer saves energy
You need a new component that does not work well with what you have
There have already been so many changes that your prosthesis may break
A prosthetist can no longer fix your prosthesis without rebuilding it.
You might need to replace components of a modular prosthesis when:
The socket is too big, too small, or the wrong shape and causes pain or infection
Parts of your prosthesis have shrunk or stretched and are no longer safe
Materials are cracked or broken
Materials are not strong enough to hold your weight
There is a leak or breakdown in the suction suspension
You cannot keep your prosthesis clean anymore.
Ways to Learn More:
Visit the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) Web site at www.amputee-coalition.org
Call ACA toll-free at 1-888/AMP-KNOW (1-888/267-5669)
"Protecting Your Prosthetic Investment" / Erik Schaffer, CP. inMotion, January / February 2006, pp. 62-63. Available in the online library at www.amputee-coalition.org/inmotion/jan_feb_06/protecting_investment.html
** Translated from When to Replace a Prosthesis, by Paddy Rossbach, RN, CEO, Amputee Coalition of America (ACA).
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