Below Knee Amputee: Modification for A Painful Fibula

[@MF_Designs]

I am working on 3d printing a sleeve for someone right now due to the shrinking of his leg! Below the Knee amputation. In Honduras as the price of replacing a sleeve is nearly 1500 dollars US (average salary is 300 a month) I was curios if you could give me a few tips or advice as I am only a 3d printing guy.

[@tharwatwael5055]

what is the material of the socket

[@TheLegLady]

Not 100% sure on the exact plastic, but it is a 3-D printed socket from @protosthetics4651

[@tharwatwael5055]

@@TheLegLady tnx

[@Blackdog4818]

Don't they fuse the fibula and tibula together on a lower leg amputation? Does the bone keep growing? Or is there a way the doctor can stop that?

[@TheLegLady]

You don't need to worry about the bone continuing to grow, especially as an adult, but sometimes bone spurs can form. There is the Ertl Procedure which essentially created a "bony bridge" between the ends of the fibula and tibia. Not everyone is a candidate for the procedure and there are pros and cons to the procedure. It is not standard though and not typical of a transtibial amputation.

[@Blackdog4818]

@@TheLegLady There must be some way to stabilize the two bones though, right? Screws, or muscle?

[@jorgitoshqau5918]

Well that was not the for me because I can feel both of them and they are equally in length maybe that’s why I’m having prosthetic issues??? By issues meaning a lot of bottoming pain and just pain in that area in general

[@TheLegLady]

If the two bones were cut at the same length it can definitely cause potential fitting issues. If you are feeling pain all in the bottom, sometimes that's indicative of the socket fit is too loose specifically in key areas. The goal is to have a socket that equally distributes pressure over the whole of the limb, so you are not having areas of high pressure at the bottom or at boney areas. Hope you and your team can find a solution and help get you more comfortable!