FAQs

Typically, you will receive your first prosthesis while in inpatient rehabilitation. Our prosthetist will come to your rehab facility and fabricate your prosthesis while you are there.

Prosthetic fitting begins, on average, 4-6 weeks post operatively. Typically, sutures/staples are removed approximately 3-4 weeks post operatively or when your limb has suitably healed (this is typically determined by your surgeon). At this time, your prosthetist will fit you with a ‘shrinker’ – a special sock that compresses your residual limb and helps to remove swelling. Once you have worn the shrinker for between three to seven days (depending on the amount of swelling that was present in your residual limb), you will be ready to have your limb casted.

Once you have been casted, 3 to 5 days is all it takes! We custom fabricate your prosthesis in our state-of-the-art laboratory and our prosthetists are actively involved in its fabrication.

Better quality! Our onsite lab allows us to serve our patients faster and design custom solutions for each patient’s individual situation. You are unique, and your prosthesis needs to be custom-made for you; the best way to do this is in our own laboratory, where our prosthetists can supervise and participate in the fabrication of your prosthesis.

A prosthesis should not be painful. Your prosthesis should fit snugly, though (as it must support your body weight), and it may take you some time to acclimate to using the prosthesis full time. However, if you are experiencing pain, contact us immediately!  Pain is a sign that your prosthesis might need adjustment. Your body is constantly changing, and changes in the shape of your residual limb may require some modifications to your prosthesis.

Most amputees (especially new amputees) experience many changes in their residual limb. Typically, your limb will reduce in volume and size, because walking with a prosthesis enhances your circulation and helps remove excess fluid from its tissues. Additionally, your limb can re-contour, or change in shape, simply from wearing a prosthesis for a while.

Over the long term, some of the musculature in your residual limb may atrophy (get smaller). Your body is constantly changing in response to pressures that are applied to it. Some of your muscles in your residual limb aren’t attached to the body parts they used to be attached to, and these muscles no longer do the same jobs they used to, so they get smaller over time.

Most of these changes in your residual limb can be accommodated by following up with your prosthetists for adjustments to the socket. If the changes in your limb are too great for your prosthetist to adjust the socket, it may be time for a new prosthetic socket or an entirely new prosthesis.

This is why regular follow-up care is so important! We encourage this and welcome it. Let us help coach you along with this process. Furthermore, any sign of redness on your limb, discomfort or feeling of instability may be a sign that you need to have your prosthesis checked out and adjusted. Most often, the prosthesis will be loose; you will be educated on this by our prosthetist at the initial fitting and upon each follow-up.

No. Follow-up care is included with the initial billing of the prosthesis to your insurance. You will never be charged to come in for follow-up care or adjustments to your prosthesis.

At Progressive O&P’s state-of-the-art facility in Albertson, NY. The office has six fitting rooms, allowing for your privacy, and a comfortable waiting area. We have an open gait (walking) area and parallel bars, which enable your prosthetist to properly evaluate your walking stride and the fit and function of your prosthesis. Our onsite lab permits your prosthetist to perform any adjustments that are needed. Common adjustments to a prosthesis include the application of padding, shaping of the cosmetic cover, and the replacement of any supplies that you might require.