The skin of the residual limb, for an amputee who wears a prosthesis, is subject to many abuses. Most leg prostheses have a snug-fitting socket in which air cannot circulate easily and which may trap perspiration. The socket has to provide for weight bearing and uneven loading may cause stress or chafing on localized areas of the stump skin. In addition, the skin of the stump is vulnerable to the possible irritant or allergenic action of the materials used to manufacture the prosthetic socket. The state of the stump skin is of utmost importance to an amputee s ability to use a prosthesis.
Some amputees suffer from lifelong skin complaints while others have little or no difficulty.
If the normal skin condition cannot be maintained despite daily wear and tear, the prosthesis cannot be worn, no matter how accurate the fit of the socket. Hence, the amputee is not only physically incapacitated, but also mentally, socially, and economically handicapped. Maintaining stump hygiene is of utmost importance in preventing infectious or traumatic skin problems in the future of the amputee. The term edema comes from the Greek word for swelling. It describes the abnormal condition in which an excessive amount of fluid has collected in the soft tissues in some part of the body.