Amputee Rehabilitation

Life after limb loss can include many adjustments to your daily routine. Physical therapy at Rehab Specialists can help you regain your mobility and independence to return to the activities you enjoy. We will work closely with your physician, prosthetist, and family to ensure complete and efficient care. If you or a loved one has experienced limb loss, regardless if they are new or experienced users, physical therapy may be able to help.

Limb loss can occur from various different causes including congenital, traumatic, or due to medical conditions requiring amputation. Furthermore, people may experience limb loss at different levels from partial foot to hip disarticulation or unilateral versus bilateral limbs. At rehab specialists, we are experienced to provide physical therapy for all types of lower extremity limb loss.

Why Physical Therapy?

Amputee rehabilitation is composed of many different components depending on each individual needs. Below are examples of the PT services at may be involved in your care.

  • Gait and prosthetic training
    • At Rehab Specialists we have an overhead Biodex Harness available to provide gait training in a safe, comfortable environment
  • Balance and strength training
  • Fall risk reduction
  • Assist with coordination with prosthetists for prosthetic fit and skin issues
  • SI joint or low back pain management
  • Management of phantom limb pain and/or sensation
  • Scar tissue reduction

What is Graded Motor Imagery?

Graded Motor Imagery (GMI) is a technique used in physical therapy to aid in management of phantom limb pain and/or sensation. The pain you feel is real and important to address. In general, pain is an output from your brain. When limb loss occurs, regardless of the cause, a pain memory can remain imprinted on your brain. This is called a “Neurotag”. During your physical therapy sessions, we will progress through a series of 3 different phases that are used to re-calibrate how your brain perceives pain and re-train the neurotag to fire appropriately.