Amputation comes in different forms for different reasons. Disease
and injury are the main reasons for having a limb amputated. Examples
of this are advanced stages of cancer in a limb, extra digits (fingers
or toes), severe injury, bone infection and more. To focus on the lower
extremities we look at the legs, ankles, feet and toes.
In order to perform an amputation the limb is removed at the best
possible spot, as close to the infection or problem as possible and
still leaving enough healthy area to cover the exposed bone to create a
“nub” or “stub.” Sometimes elements will be inserted during surgery
that will later have a prosthetic attached to it.
While there is more acceptance of amputees among social groups
today, amputees still have difficulty in some areas - mainly, shopping
for products. The most common problem comes for those who have had a
leg or foot amputated and must buy shoes. In the past, the only way to
buy shoes was by the pair. Stores didn’t accommodate the special needs
of people with “not normal” feet or fewer than two feet.
Now with the help of the Amputee Coalition of America and other
non-profit organizations, those who once struggled with purchasing foot
wear can find pretty much any type of shoe they want and only buy one
instead of a pair. This means that they no longer have to pay for two
shoes and only use one, and they also get to save space by not having
all those extra unused shoes lying around. People who suffer from foot
amputation no longer have to struggle to find specialty shoes; you can
find comfortable shoes through online shoe exchanges such as OddShoe.
