Prosthetic legs

2025: The prosthesis began to rub or pull: bodily signals to pay attention to

In the first months, when a person begins to use a prosthesis, he literally learns to live again. The patient begins to walk, stand and sit again. And during this period, the body speaks to him through sensations. But many do not know how to understand this "language." Someone suffers pain, because he believes that this should be the case, and someone is embarrassed to tell a specialist about it. Very in vain, because most problems with the prosthesis can and should be solved as early as possible.

Here are 7 signals from the body that cannot be ignored:

1. Skin redness longer than 30 minutes

After removing the prosthesis, the skin can be a little pink - this is normal. But if the redness lasts longer than half an hour or becomes more intense, then this is a signal that the prosthesis is pressing incorrectly here. In this case, if you continue, inflammation, callus or even an open wound may appear.

What to do: Contact a prosthetic for fitting. Perhaps you need a soft lining or reconfiguring the fit.

2. Feeling pulling and nagging pain

When the prosthesis "pulls" or creates the feeling that somewhere inside something is pulled over - this is not the norm. This often indicates a disrupted load distribution or unsuccessful sleeve shape.

What to do: Don't wait. The pain suggests that the tissues of the stump are in constant tension - this can lead to fatigue, cramps or gait disturbances.

3. Burning, itching, overheating

These sensations are a signal of overheating, high humidity or skin reaction to the material. Especially relevant in hot weather or with a long sock. Sometimes these are the first signs of incipient irritation.

What to do: Check the ventilation of the case, the wearing mode and the composition of the materials. Sometimes changing the sock layer or special hygienic skin treatment helps.

4. Calluses, cracks, rubbing

Any skin damage is not just a temporary nuisance. It can lead to infection and the inability to wear a prosthesis at all until the skin recovers. Especially often calluses appear due to improper fixation or if a person has sharply increased physical activity.

What to do: Urgently show the stump to a specialist. It may take a temporary pause in the use of the prosthesis and a change in its design.

5. Numbness, tingling, loss of sensation

A feeling of "goosebumps" or numbness is a possible sign that the prosthesis is pinching vessels or nerves. Such symptoms can develop into chronic problems if not sorted out in time.

What to do: Get checked by a doctor and prosthetist. Sometimes it is quite easy to adjust, but it is better to exclude serious reasons.

6. Prosthesis behaves differently

If you suddenly noticed that the prosthesis was not moving as before. For example, "fails," leans, "mows" to the side, then this is a reason to be wary. There can be many reasons, from changes in body weight to wear of components.

What to do: Apply for correction. A prosthetic is not a shoe. It should be like an extension of the body, and even the slightest inconsistencies affect gait and well-being.

Problems with the prosthesis are the risk of deterioration of the quality of life, refusal of activity, social isolation. But the good news is that modern prosthetics are a flexible process. Everything can be adjusted, modified, changed. The main thing is not to endure.

Ivan Burchenkov, late June 2025

2023: "Motorica" invested hundreds of millions in the launch of the production of prosthetic legs

The Russian developer and manufacturer of functional prosthetic arms "Motorika" (Skolkovo resident) has begun to develop prosthetic legs. Representatives of "Motor" reported this to Zdrav.Expert on July 18, 2023. According to the company, investments in the direction may amount to several hundred million rubles. The company is looking for developers and partners: the release of the first models is scheduled for 2024. Read more here.

See also

• Bionic prostheses
• Endoprostheses
• Neuroartificial limbs