While a PBO Group Prosthetist will explain in detail how to properly use and care for your prosthesis, we understand that patients may not remember every detail instructed and shared with them during this time.
With that in mind, this go-to care guide has been designed to help our clients refresh their memories and to ensure proper prosthesis care is taking place to prevent other health concerns!
Caring for Your Prosthesis
1. Wash Your Prosthesis Socks or Sheaths on a Daily Basis
To prevent potential health risks, it is recommended to always wear fresh prosthesis socks everyday. If your sock becomes damp or wet from perspiration, it is ideal to change your socks immediately to a fresh pair. Most prosthesis sock brands or sheath brands will include care instructions – we suggest following their provided instructions to prolong the life of your prosthesis socks or sheaths.
2. Don’t Forget to Clean Your Gel Liner
Since the gel liner is always in direct contact with your skin, it is very important to be cleaning your gel liner at least once a day. Not only will daily cleaning help prevent potential infections or health concerns, it will also help with maintaining and prolonging the life of your liner. Here is a quick break down on cleaning your liner:
- Take the liner out of your prosthesis
- Spot clean the outside of your liner
- Flip your liner inside out and clean using anti-bacterial soap and warm water
- Rinse off all products and dry well with a cloth
- Flip your liner right side out and store it properly for future use
3. Clean Your Prosthesis’ Socket
Since the socket doesn’t touch the skin directly, many people don’t think to clean it however, we highly encourage cleaning your prosthesis’ socket as it will help in making it last longer but also ensures that it will continue to function as it should as an artificial limb. This is how you should clean and care for your socket:
- Set aside some time once a week to clean inside your socket
- Spray your socket using a alcohol-based cleaner and wipe the socket
4. Don’t Hesitate to Reach Out to a Professional
With everyone’s diagnosis and prosthetics being different, it is sometimes best to reach out to a professional, especially if it involves something that could put you in danger or jeopardize your healing process. At the end of the day, our goal as professionals is to help with your new lifestyle and ensure you are safe during the transition.
We always encourage our patients to contact us – if there is anything you’re feeling unsure about. We’re always happy to provide guidance and support!
