Common Problems
Adding a sock makes the leg too tight at the knee.
This is a common problem. When you lose volume in the residual limb, you lose it in the bottom half of the leg where the soft tissue is located, not the top half where there are bones that make up the knee. In the event this happens, you need to cut a sock so that it covers the bottom half of the leg. A thicker ply sock works best for this.
The leg feels heavy.
Make sure the suspension sleeve is in contact with at least 3-4 inches of the skin. Make sure you are wearing the proper amount of socks.
You develop a skin reaction or rash.
Make sure you are washing the liner everyday. DO NOT use alcohol on your skin. Always rinse the liner well after washing.Use a soap that you have used before without problems Hydrogen peroxide can be used to thoroughly clean the liner.
You have a large blister or blisters at the bottom of your leg.
First, call your prosthetist and schedule an appointment! Remove the prosthesis until you are healed. When you are healed be sure that you are properly donning the liner by ensuring total contact at the bottom. There should be no air between your leg and the liner. Recheck your sock wear when first donning and throughout the day. When returning to use of the prosthesis, remove the prosthesis every 2 hours to physically examine for impingement and potential breakdown.
The prosthesis gets stuck and you cannot get out.
Make sure you hear or feel a click when you push the button. Try to remove with the prosthesis straight in front of you. Have a friend or family member push the button and pull off the leg while you stabilize yourself in a chair. If all else fails, use a squirt bottle with liquid soap. Squeeze a generous amount of soap between your liner and your skin in the front, back, and sides. Take several steps to work the soap over the skin. This should help you pull the prosthesis off. You may need assistance from a family member or a friend. Once you have removed the prosthesis using this method, call us and schedule an appointment as soon as possible so we can help resolve the problem.
You hear a noise coming from the prosthesis.
Add a sock, if this does not eliminate the noise, call your prosthetist and schedule an appointment so we can help resolve the problem.
If you have any of the following syptoms, add 1 ply of sock over the liner and continue to add sock ply until the symptoms go away:
- The knee cap falls into the prosthesis.
- The leg feels funny, or different than before.
- It feels loose.
- Pain at the bottom of the leg.
- A feeling of being wedged into the prosthesis (sometimes this feels like the leg is being squeezed).
- The prosthesis rotates.
- You feel unstable in the leg.
- The knee cap is sore.