Tips To Help Your Child Adjust With A Prosthesis

Prosthetic limbs are used in children born with a congenital disorder or who suffered from a limb loss due to some accident or injury. Orthotics And Prosthetics in Port St Lucie support the mobility of people with mobility conditions or have undergone amputation. While getting used to prosthetics does not happen readily and can take some time but as a parent, you can actively help your kid to get more used to it.

A prosthetist will teach your child about the functioning and maintenance of a prosthetic device but it is essential to maintain the upkeep for their prosthesis. With care and supportive encouragement and guidance from the prosthetist, you can help your child is getting more used to their prosthetic device. Here are some tips that will give you the understanding of how you can help your child cope with a prosthetic device.

Help Cope With The Loss

Losing a limb can be debilitating look for your kid and they do not have to adjust to the new physical changes but also handle the emotional aspect of it. Adjusting mentally and emotionally can also take a toll on your kid both before and after the surgery. As a role model to your kid, you need to keep a positive attitude so that they can develop an optimistic outlook about it. You can discuss with your doctor to have your child fully understand the process and how they can live a normal life after the surgery with the prosthesis. Constant communication and education are helpful in maintaining the right mindset.

Teach Basic Prosthetic Care

If your child is too young, you will be responsible for taking care of the prosthesis and if your child is grown up enough to take care of their prosthesis by themselves, then you will need to teach them the basics of prosthetic care. From properly cleaning the device to using the prosthetic in the right way, both you and your child need to learn about prosthetic care.

Adapt To The Prosthetic Device

Once the child has undergone the amputation surgery, they will begin the rehabilitation process and physiotherapy. As kids are way more resilient and adaptable than adults, they often get used to the use of prosthetics fairly quickly. As your child rehabilitates from the amputation, you can discuss with the prosthetist to understand the care and usage of the new device thoroughly. Jim Fenton is a renowned orthopedist that can help you with understanding prosthetic care.

Know Their Concerns

When a child is too young to understand the loss of limb may adjust to it faster than a child who understands and wants to walk or run around always. So, the questions they ask you will vary from child to child. However, you should know all your child’s concerns and address all of them with a positive outlook. Be it understanding the working of a prosthetic leg or concerns about wearing the prosthetic in public, you should answer all their questions. You can also take the help of your doctors to address some of their concerns.

Help Embrace The Challenge

Getting used to Orthotics and prosthetics in Port St. Lucie can be challenging for your kid. Children are much more physically and mentally resilient than we give them credit for. So, encouraging your child in the right way will make it much easier for them to embrace the challenges that come with the use of a prosthetic device. Allow them to be open and honest about their concerns and emotions so that they can be handled in the best possible way, making it easier for your child to adjust to the prosthetic use.

Be In Touch With The Prosthetist

A big part of adjusting to the new prosthetic device is to always keep the line of communication with the prosthetist open. The prosthetist is the most important person the kid will look up to on their new journey and so it is essential that the prosthetist is always in the picture throughout the journey.

Summary: Prosthetic devices help regain mobility after an amputation or for children born with a congenital disorder. With the right advice and encouragement, your kid can get used to the use of prosthetics.