Amputation

What is Amputation???

Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for such problems. A special case is that of congenital amputation, a congenital disorder, where fetal limbs have been cut off by constrictive bands. In some countries, amputation of the hands, feet or other body parts is or was used as a form of punishment for people who committed crimes.

Amputation has also been used as a tactic in war and acts of terrorism; it may also occur as a war injury. In some cultures and religions, minor amputations or mutilations are considered a ritual accomplishment. Unlike some non-mammalian animals (such as lizards that shed their tails, salamanders that can regrow many missing body parts, and hydras, flatworms, and starfish that can regrow entire bodies from small fragments), once removed, human extremities do not grow back, unlike portions of some organs, such as the liver. A transplant or a prosthesis are the only options for recovering the loss.

Type of Amputation

1. Above Knee Amputation

An above knee amputation (AKA) is one where the leg is amputated through the thigh bone above the knee joint. This type of amputation is also referred to as a transfemoral amputation. Most often the amputation occurs at the middle part of the thigh bone. The residual limb is comprised of your femur, and no knee joint is present. An AKA may lead to significant loss of muscular control in the hamstrings and quadriceps muscles, making walking with a prosthesis difficult.

2. Below Knee Amputation

A below knee amputation (BKA), also known as a transtibial amputation, is an amputation through your shin bone. The BKA is the most common type of amputation performed, and the risk of serious post-operative complications in a BKA is far less than in a transfemoral amputation. In a BKA, the knee joint is spared, and walking with a prosthesis is typically more successful.

3. Hemipelvic Amputation

A hemipelvic amputation is one where your hip joint and part of your pelvis is amputated. This type of amputation is also known as a transpelvic amputation. It is most often performed because of a malignant tumor or as the result of trauma. Walking after a hemipelvic amputation is difficult since there is no residual limb onto which a prosthesis can be fitted. Still, your physical therapist and doctor can work with you to fit you with the most appropriate device to help maximize your ability to walk.

4. Toe Amputation

Toe amputations usually occur as the result of poor blood supply to the toe, a situation that sometimes develops in gangrene. This type of amputation rarely requires the skilled rehabilitation of physical therapy, but occasionally therapy will be involved in the rehabilitation process if balance or gait issues are limiting functional mobility.

5. Partial Foot Amputation

A partial foot amputation is one where the toes and part of the long bones of the foot are amputated. This is also known as a transmetatarsal amputation. A partial foot amputation allows you to still maintain a high level of functional mobility because many major muscle attachments are preserved during the surgery. Also, foot balance and shape are maintained in this type of amputation, which can help you keep your proper gait.

6. Disarticulation

Disarticulation refers to an amputation through a joint. For example, if your shin bone is amputated, then the part of your knee joint at the end of your thigh bone would be spared. This can make walking easier. Since the bone of the residual limb is left intact, there is a decreased chance of bone infection from the amputation surgery. A disarticulation amputation in a child also helps to preserve the growth plate in the bone.

Causes will be faced

Circulatory disorders

• Diabetic foot infection or gangrene (the most frequent reason for infection-related amputations)

• Sepsis with peripheral necrosis

Neoplasm

• Cancerous bone or soft tissue tumors (e.g. osteosarcoma, osteochondroma, fibrosarcoma, epithelioid sarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, synovial sarcoma, sacrococcygeal teratoma, liposarcoma)

• Melanoma

Trauma

• Severe limb injuries in which the limb cannot be saved or efforts to save the limb fail.

• Traumatic amputation (an unexpected amputation that occurs at the scene of an accident, where the limb is partially or entirely severed as a direct result of the accident, for example a finger that is severed from the blade of a table saw).

• Amputation in utero (Amniotic band)

Deformities

• Deformities of digits and/or limbs (e.g. proximal femoral focal deficiency)

• Extra digits and/or limbs (e.g. polydactyly)

Infection

• Bone infection (osteomyelitis)

• diabetes

• frostbite

Athletic performance

• Sometimes professional athletes may choose to have a non-essential digit amputated to relieve chronic pain and impaired performance. Australian Rules footballer Daniel Chick elected to have his left ring finger amputated as chronic pain and injury was limiting his performance.[9] Rugby union player Jone Tawake also had a finger removed.[10] NFL safety Ronnie Lott had the tip of his little finger removed after it was damaged in the 1985 NFL season.

Legal punishment

• Amputation is used as a legal punishment in a number of countries, among them Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Islamic regions of Nigeria.