How to position your residual limb after surgery

It’s extra important to treat yourself with kindness following your surgery. Your body will be working hard to heal and adjust. This is a moment to be gentle with yourself.  

Part of taking care of yourself is making sure that you keep your residual limb positioned properly. This can help you keep a full range of motion in your remaining joints, keep up your blood circulation and prevent complications – such as your muscles getting tight (contracture) or shortening. 

Here’s what you’ll need to do: 

Positioning your leg when relaxing: straight position 

Below knee amputation positioning after surgery 

For below-knee amputations, keep your residual limb supported and the knee straight when seated.  For example, don’t hang your residual limb over the side of the bed or keep your knee joint flexed while sitting. 

If you have a wheelchair, you can use an “amputee board”. Your rehabilitation team can arrange this for you.  If you are using a regular chair, you can use a second chair of the same height to support your residual limb. 

There is an exercise you will need to do each day to stretch the muscles at the back of your knee to prevent a contracture from developing from sitting and lying down for too long!   

Simply sit down on the bed with extended legs and extend your knees by pushing the back of your knees down to the surface. A good way to remember to do it is to make a regular time each day that you do this exercise.  

What is a contracture? When a knee or hip is bended for a long time, the muscle tendon can shorten and stiffen, preventing you from being able to fully extend. This is called a contracture.] 

Above knee amputation post-op position 

It’s important not to put your residual limb in a flexed (bent) position. For example, do not support your limb on the handle of a crutch. Keeping your hip joint flexed for long periods may disturb blood circulation and cause muscle contracture. 

There is an exercise you will need to do each day to stretch the muscles at the front of your hips and to prevent contractures from developing from sitting down for too long!  

Simply lie flat on your stomach for 15- 20 minutes, two to three times a day. A good way to remember to do it is to make a regular time each day that you do this exercise.  

Positioning your leg when relaxing: Elevated position 

Resting your residual limb in an elevated position can reduce pain and swelling. You may want to keep your limb straight, especially when resting it on something like a cushion where it may inadvertently bend.  

A piece of foam cut to size and in the right shape can work well to elevate and support the residual limb while keeping it straight.