At-Home Tips for Amputees During COVID-19

By MCOP Team March 31, 2020 living with your prosthetic, Amputee Support

We’re still here to help you #MoveForward.

As many of our clients are already aware, the COVID-19 virus has greatly impacted the way companies have been able to interact with their customers. However, as an essential provider of vital healthcare services and medical devices, the MCOP teams will continue operating throughout the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak, ensuring our clients receive the most advanced prosthetic and orthotic care possible for the foreseeable future. 

Still, as we continue to provide these services, we’ll be taking every precaution to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. In some instances, that will mean cutting back on clinical, in-person appointments.  Fortunately, we’re now able to check in on our customers via easy-to-set-up, easy-to-use virtual appointments and telemedicine services which allow clients to receive highly personalized, one-on-one care without ever leaving their homes. 

We’ll also still be available via phone during our regular business hours of 8:30 am – 4:30 pm every Monday through Friday in case you need to speak with a trained member of our staff regarding your specific needs.

A Few At-Home Tips & Advice for Amputees to Follow

In addition to all of the above, it’s important to note that there are still plenty of activities you can do from the safety of your own home to help preserve the quality of your prosthetic and orthotic devices while also staying active. 

Here, we’ll break down some of these tips and advice to help you ensure the prolonged performance of your devices for as long as possible during this ongoing pandemic.

Tip #1: Check Your Skin Regularly

Staying at home means it’s the perfect time to increase the frequency of which you observe your skin condition in relation to your prosthetic or orthotic devices. Just like always, you’ll want to keep your skin, as well as your prosthesis and its liner as clean as possible. 

After you’re done cleaning your skin, pay extra special attention to any areas that might have been rubbed too much or are showing signs of pressure. For example, you can use a mirror to check the back of your leg if you’re a below-the-knee amputee, as well as around the end. If you see any changes to your skin, then please contact us as soon as possible so we can help diagnose and solve the issue virtually.

Tip #2: Freshen Up Your Liners

While this is always a rule you should follow, it’s especially true as we move into the warmer seasons. That’s because warmer weather can cause your liners to become a potential risk to your skin unless they’re well monitored and maintained to prevent these issues.

Even during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, our team can still assist you by assessing your needs virtually, then determining what items you need before shipping them directly to your home. All you need to do is set up a time to review your equipment, and, as a general rule, if your liners are more than four months old, they may already be in need of a replacement. We’ll be happy to help you make this decision!

Tip #3: Stay Active!

Not only is staying active a great stress-reliever during these times of anxiety, it also helps you maintain your health and the health of your prosthetic or orthotic devices. Short walks of 5-10 minutes are recommended in all situations, but make sure you follow the recommendations set by the CDC website if you plan on taking these walks or doing any other exercises outside.

Fortunately, there are also many ways in which you can exercise your devices and affected limbs without even going home, and many of these are appropriate for all amputees. In fact, we’ve put together a handy PDF with nearly a dozen easy-to-do at-home exercises, and you can download it for free here: 

Home Exercise Program

We’re Always Here to Help!

We will continue to keep our followers and clients updated throughout the course of this pandemic, while also putting in as much effort as possible to ensure the safety of our customers and staff alike. 

If you have any other questions or concerns regarding how we’re reacting to the coronavirus, or how we might be able to help you in the meantime, please feel free to Contact Us today!