It describes the abnormal condition in which an excessive amount of fluid has collected in the soft tissues in some part of the body. Postoperative edema occurs in most cases and gradually disappears over many months following amputation. When an amputee first begins to wear a suction-socket prosthesis, his or her skin must adapt to the entirely new environment. These changes are usually innocuous and do not require therapy. Some abnormal swelling can be partially prevented by gradual compression of the stump tissues with an elastic bandage, or shrinker sock, either before the use of the prosthesis or during times at night or at home when the artificial limb is not being used.
Some areas can even erode, ulcerate, or become gangrenous because of impaired blood supply.
The edema can embarrass the lymphatic and vascular channels and prevent necessary tissue nutrition. Treatment will then include elimination of all mechanical factors contributing to the edema, such as tightness in the socket, poor fit and poor alignment. Treatment should always be directed toward equalization of pressures for better support of the distal stump tissue. Faulty prosthetic alignment or weight gain can become the cause for skin breakdown. Interrelated with edema is a wart-like condition of the skin of the entire distal portion of the stump, call verrucous hyperplasia, which has been seen in numerous instances.