Prosthetic fitting

Things that influence selection of a suitable prosthesis for you include your level of physical fitness and health, the amputation level, the demands you place on the prosthesis and your professional and private environment. Your prosthetist will advise you regarding all these aspects, and you will select the prosthesis and corresponding components together.

Prostheses

Similar to medical technology in general, in the further development of prostheses nature serves as a model which modern high-tech prostheses are approaching step by step. In the process, human sensitivity is a major challenge since it is very hard to simulate. Yet your prosthesis fulfils many essential functions: It restores a large part of your mobility and contributes to your ability to manage your everyday without help from others. By wearing your prosthesis, you avoid postural deformities or balance problems which can arise due to the missing weight of your amputated leg. In addition, you also avoid excessive strain and long-term damage to your sound leg by wearing your prosthesis.

Once your residual limb has healed and you are in good health again, the process of fitting your final prosthesis is started. However, your prosthetist will already attend to you beforehand and ask you some questions in order to be able to respond to your needs and wishes. In addition, he will assess your residual limb shortly after the amputation and find out if an interim prosthesis would work for you. In addition, a doctor will attend to your fitting if you want or if your prosthetist thinks it's necessary.

After these initial assessments, your prosthetist will recommend and discuss various fitting options with you. Three essential topics are involved:

• Selection of components
• The prosthesis socket
• Alignment of the prosthesis
  

Only when all three topics have been discussed sufficiently and the results conform to your and the rehabilitation team's requirements is the fitting process of the socket started on the one hand, and your prosthetist selects the prosthesis components based on the Mobis® System on the other hand. Then the prosthesis can be finished, that is, the final prosthesis is built and receives a cosmetic cover.

Once the proper fit of the socket has been achieved after several trial fittings and the prosthesis components have been selected, the socket and components are put together. Alignment of the prosthesis can vary from one patient to the next, since posture and body size play a role.

Your prosthetist bases alignment of the prosthesis on the results of the assessments and on specified guidelines. Once the prosthesis is finished, further trial fittings take place. During this process the prosthetist uses technological equipment, the so-called L.A.S.A.R. Posture, to verify the prosthesis alignment and to adjust the prosthesis precisely to your requirements.

Then you can take the first steps with your new prosthesis.