Prevention of Contractures

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HealthWiki > Disabled Village Children > Chapter 27: Amputations > Prevention of Contractures

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In this chapter:

 

In this chapter:

Contractures here
and here
will need to be straightened before this child can be fitted with a limb.

A child with an amputated leg does not use his leg in the typical way. He usually keeps it bent, and he tends to develop contractures of the hip or knee (or both). Therefore, specific positioning and exercises are needed to prevent contractures and maintain full range of motion (see Chapter 42).

POSITIONS

Encourage positions that keep the joints stretched, and avoid those that keep the joint bent.

WRONG	CORRECT	CORRECT
		padded post

WRONG	WRONG	CORRECT	CORRECT

ONLY WHEN NECESSARY FOR MOVING ABOUT	BETTER (But it can still cause hip contractures.)	CORRECT

If contractures have already developed, try to position the child in ways that stretch them.

car tire inner tube pulling joints straighter

weight

STRETCHING EXERCISES

	Be sure hips are straight.

STRENGTHENING EXERCISES

Try to strengthen especially those muscles that straighten the joints, and those muscles needed for walking.

lift weight

strip of inner tube

sand bag or other weight

Kick the ball with your stump.

Don't let me push you backward.

WARNING! about walking aids

	Walking aids or artificial limbs, like these, that keep the stump bent may be useful until the child can get a limb that keeps the joint straight. However, it is very important that the child do stretching and strengthening exercises daily if he uses a bent-joint aid.
	With a well-fitted stump-in-socket limb, normal activity usually provides all the stretching and exercise that are needed.

Instructions for making simple stump-in-socket limbs using bamboo and other local materials are in Chapter 67.

This page was updated:04 Apr 2024