The effect of stump length on the rehabilitation outcome in unilateral below-knee amputees for vascular disease

Abstract

The optimal stump length for prosthetic fitting in a below-knee amputee is considered to be not less than 12.5 cm. However, such long stumps may be associated with delay or failure of wound healing in lower limb amputees for vascular disease. This is often the cause of considerable morbidity, slow progress with rehabilitation, and long hospital stay.In the present study the rehabilitation outcomes in patients with short (10 cm or less) and long (more than 10 cm) stumps who had a unilateral below-knee amputation for peripheral vascular disease were compared. Each group consisted of 25 patients. There was no significant difference in the rehabilitation outcome (as measured by three different assessment scales) between the two groups. It is concluded that relatively short stumps (e.g. 8-10 cm long), which are likely to heal quicker and are associated with less risk of reamputation than long stumps, may be an advantage in this group of patients.