Surgical considerations for advanced prosthetic control and residual limb pain management in amputees
Amputations are typically more common in the lower limb due to diabetes and vascular disease than the upper limb, where the leading aetiology is trauma, although this does vary between developed and developing countries [1,2]. In both situations, traditional surgical teaching has focused on leaving enough soft tissue to cover the residual bone for comfortable prosthetic fitting [3]. Involved nerves are usually cut under tension, so that the nerve stump becomes buried under muscular soft tissue to prevent painful neuromas at the amputation site itself, which will prevent comfortable socket fitting. However, with advances in secondary surgical procedures following amputation, new evidence is suggesting that nerve transfers may prevent resulting pain symptoms.
Surgical considerations for advanced prosthetic control and residual limb pain management in amputees, Page 1 of 2
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