Amputee Rehabilitation

Moving forward with limb loss

An estimated 2 million people are living with an amputation, and the number of Americans with a loss of limb is expected to double by 2050.1 Each one of these individuals face a wide range of physical, emotional, psychological and social challenges. SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital is here to help.

 

1Ziegler-Graham K, MacKenzie EJ, Ephraim PL, Travison TG, Brookmeyer R. Estimating the prevalence of limb loss in the United States: 2005 to 2050. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2008;89:422-9.

female therapist working with a male amputee patient

Your progress. Our program.

SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital provides individualized care to patients with limb loss, from post-surgical care to community reintegration.

  • At SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital, an experienced team of amputee rehabilitation specialists addresses the range of medical, physical, psychological and emotional issues you face.

    This interdisciplinary team is led by a physiatrist, a physician board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and includes rehabilitation nurses; physical, occupational, and recreation therapists; prosthetists; neuropsychologists; dietitians; pharmacists; case managers and other clinical and support staff, as needed.

  • Rehabilitation is an active process and patients participate in physical and occupational therapies three hours a day, five days a week. Treatment is carefully integrated and tailored to your goals and progress. The skills and strategies you learn in therapy will be reinforced by your nursing team.

    While at our hospital, you will benefit from an integrated rehabilitation program that may include:

    • Expert post-surgical wound care and residual limb management
    • Hands-on therapies to enhance strength, flexibility, coordination and endurance
    • Treatment supported by enhanced technologies
    • Functional electrical stimulation to enhance muscle activity
    • Pain or phantom limb pain management
    • Wheelchair seating and mobility training
    • Peer mentoring and support groups for both patients and families
    • Pre-prosthetic training
  • Recovery takes time. Each patient is different and your length of stay will depend on the extent of your injury, goals and personal progress.

    When you’re ready, your case manager will coordinate your discharge with your physician and clinical team. He or she will also arrange for equipment and/or outpatient services and provide information on community resources that may be available to you and your family.

  • To help you return home and resume work, school, community and/or social activities, SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital provides an unparalleled continuity of care. We help you manage your health from inpatient to outpatient care.

Robert Bretherick, an amputee, is walking with the assistance of a physical therapy walker.
Our patients say it best
Robert’s story
“I learned that I have what it takes mentally and physically to get through an injury of this magnitude and get to a point where I could start getting my life back.”

Amputee recovery. Let us help.

We will work closely with you and your family, physician and/or the referring hospital to ensure a smooth transition to SSM Health Rehabilitation Hospital.