Awareness, potential factors, and post-amputation care of stump flexion contractures among transtibial amputees

Objectives: This study aims to assess the level of awareness of transtibial amputee patients on stump contractures and their compliance with efforts implemented to prevent the condition. Patients and methods: This study included 50 unilateral transtibial amputees (26 males, 24 females; mean age 55.4...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ghazali, Mohd Fazli, Razak, Nasrul Anuar Abd, Abu Osman, Noor Azuan, Gholizadeh, Hossein
Format: Article
Published: Turkish Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2018
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Summary:Objectives: This study aims to assess the level of awareness of transtibial amputee patients on stump contractures and their compliance with efforts implemented to prevent the condition. Patients and methods: This study included 50 unilateral transtibial amputees (26 males, 24 females; mean age 55.4±14.7 years; range, 18 to 78 years) who met the respondent criteria of the study. The respondents were randomly selected and were issued with a questionnaire. Results: The majority of the transtibial amputees were aware of stump contracture complications. It was found that they also preferred methods of prevention which required less effort, was cost-effective, and were also practical. Conclusion: More focus should be placed on contracture prevention methods which were most complied with by the patients. This is because the effectiveness of a prevention method is highly influenced by patients’ compliance with the method. Patients with a higher risk of developing stump contractures should be also given more attention in post-amputation care.