Amputation

  • There are currently 1.9 million people in the United States that experienced amputation [6]. 
  • About 158,000 people receive amputations each year.
    • Out of the 158,000 that have had an amputation, more than half do not own a prosthetic device [7].  

Distal Tibia Cancer

  • Occurs 0.069% each year and is associated with other types of injury
    • Is less prominent than lime loss
    • Is often associated with other types of injury at a 59.6% prevalence rate [8]. 

Physical/Mental Effects of Amputation

Phantom Limb Pain

  • Is a sharp burning pain accompanying amputation
  • Occurs in 67% of patients in the first 6 months.

Depression and Anxiety

  • Patients that receive amputation are three times more likely to be depressed than the general population [9].
  • A study measuring the effect of prosthetic limb devices on mortality rate of veterans showed that 46% of amputee veterans die within three years of their amputation [10].

References

[6]: Balkin, S. W. (1995). Lower limb amputation and the diabetic foot. JAMA, 273(3), 185. 

[7]: Raichle, K. A., Hanley, M. A., Molton, I., Kadel, N. J., Campbell, K., Phelps, E., . . . Smith, D. G. (2008). Prosthesis use in persons with lower- and upper-limb amputation. J Rehabil Res Dev, 45(7), 961-972. doi:10.1682/jrrd.2007.09.0151

[8]: Anandasivam, N. S., Russo, G. S., Swallow, M. S., Basques, B. A., Samuel, A. M., Ondeck, N. T., . . . Grauer, J. N. (2017). Tibial shaft fracture: A large-scale study defining the injured population and associated injuries. J Clin Orthop Trauma, 8(3), 225-231. doi:10.1016/j.jcot.2017.07.012

[9]:Molina, C. S., & Faulk, J. B. (2020). Lower Extremity Amputation. In StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL).

[10]:Kurichi, J. E., Kwong, P., Vogel, W. B., Xie, D., Cowper Ripley, D., & Bates, B. E. (2015). Effects of prosthetic limb prescription on 3-year mortality among Veterans with lower-limb amputation. J Rehabil Res Dev, 52(4), 385-396. doi:10.1682/JRRD.2014.09.0209