Amputation Health Dictionary

Ghost pains after surgical removal of a limb. Wash remaining limb with strong infusion of Thyme (2oz – 2 handfuls wild or garden Thyme to quart boiling water infused 15 minutes and strained). (Maria Treben) Comfrey Poultice. Comfrey cream or ointment.

Internal: Valerian. St John’s Wort (Hypericum). 

Surgical removal of part or all of a limb. Amputation is necessary if peripheral vascular disease as a result of atherosclerosis or diabetes mellitus has impaired the blood supply to a limb. If blood supply cannot be restored, amputation is carried out to prevent the

development of gangrene. Amputation may also be needed if a limb has been irreparably damaged in an accident.

For some time after amputation, there may be an unpleasant sensation that the limb is still present, a phenomenon known as “phantom limb”. A prosthesis (see limb, artificial) is usually fitted when the stump has healed.

Severance of a limb, or part of a limb, from the rest of the body. The leg is the most common site of amputation. It is usually performed as a controlled operation and may be required for a variety of reasons. In the young, severe injury is the most common cause, when damage to the limb is so extensive as to make it non-viable or functionally useless. In the elderly, amputation is more often the result of vascular insu?ciency, resulting in gangrene or intractable pain.

Sarcoma (see CANCER) of bone, muscle or connective tissues in a limb is another reason for amputation.

The aim is to restore the patient to full mobility with a prosthetic (arti?cial) limb, which requires both a well-?tting PROSTHESIS and a well-healed surgical wound. If this is not possible, the aim is to leave the patient with a limb stump that is still useful for balancing, sitting and transferring. Common types of lower-limb amputation are shown in the illustration. The Symes amputation can be walked upon without requiring a prosthesis. The below-knee amputation preserves normal ?exion of the knee, and virtually normal walking can be achieved with a well-?tting arti?cial limb. Learning to walk is more di?cult following an above-knee amputation, but some highly motivated patients can manage well. After any amputation it is not unusual for the patient to experience the sensation that the limb is still present: this is called a ‘PHANTOM LIMB’ and the sensation may persist for a long time.

n. the removal of a limb, part of a limb, or any other portion of the body (such as a breast or the rectum). The term is customarily modified by an adjective showing the particular type of amputation. Examples include above-knee, through-knee, and below-knee amputations of the lower limb. Limb amputation may be performed for gangrene or severe infections precipitated by conditions such as severe peripheral vascular disease or diabetes mellitus, where other techniques are not possible. It is also performed in cases of severe limb injury. In planning an amputation the surgeon takes account of the blood supply, the patient’s mobility, and the type of artificial part (prosthesis) that will be fitted. It is not uncommon for patients to continue to have physical sensations in the body part that has been removed (*phantom limb).