AMPUTEE TIPS: How to take care of your stump socks

OK, I know what you're saying.... FINALLY, a posting other than biking, riding, motorcycle etc.

Right, to make this blog interesting, I will start to do a few 'AMPUTEE TIPS' since I can consider myself somebody who knows about this from my eight (8) years experience :P. In all seriousness, I do hope that this can benefit you or anyone you know :)

Well, in today's post, I will be talking about STUMP SOCKS.

Stump socks is an important part of your prosthetic leg as it is the connection between you and your new leg. Think of it like a tire on a vehicle. It is the one thing connecting your vehicle to the road. Therefore, like a tire, you must know how to take care of the stumps socks to ensure comfort and longevity.

There are TWO types of stump socks. First is the normal socks, as per picture below:

This socks is used for the type of prosthetic with rubber inserts in your socket.

The second type is the stump socks with pinlock. This is used for sockets with the pinlock mechanism.

Since I have both of these socks for my Mark I and Mark II, let me share a little what I do to take care of my stump socks. Most of the socks have silicone inserts inside to help you maintain the shape of your stump. The easy way to picture it is with a pear. You always want to maintain your stump in an upside down pear shape, as ilustrated below:

So back to the socks, with your daily usage, heat and sweat will tend to damage the silicone insert, thus shortening the life of the socks. In addition, pro-longed contact between the silicone and your skin can cause discomfort and even rash.

What I personally do to help mitigate this problem is I will wear an additional layer of socks first before wearing the stump socks. I used a very thin sock which I purchased from my prosthetic shop. Even a normal socks can do, if you can find something long enough.

The inner sock will then act as a buffer absorbing sweat and preventing direct contact between your stump and the silicone. This will prolong the life of your stump socks which can be costly to replace. In Malaysia, the normal stump sock can cost you up to RM400 and the pinlock type can go as high as RM2500!

Well that's all for today's 'AMPUTEE TIPS' . I hope that this can help somebody out there to enjoy their prosthetic and enjoy life. Remember, the most important thing about amputation is not all amputation is the same and not everyone is the same, but we try our best to adapt to the new life that we have.

Lastly, DISABILITY IS JUST A WORD! :)