Clinical orthopedic and rehabilitation assessment of lower limb amputees veterans in Mazandaran province

Correct identification of limb amputee veteran's health and treatment needs can have a significant effect on complication's decrease and also increase in their quality of life and life expectancy. This study was performed in order to determine the frequency of clinical and rehabilitation assessment results in limb amputee veterans in Mazandaran province.

This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on limb amputee veterans who referred to the specialized clinic affiliated to Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs of Mazandaran province in years 2006-7. From the 375 amputee veteran's medical files, 295 entered the study and the rest were excluded. All clinical orthopedic and rehabilitation evaluations of amputee veterans were done by an orthopedist and a rehabilitation specialist in mentioned clinic. Data were documented in a researcher-made questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics by SPSS 16 software.

168 (56.9%) of lower limb amputee veterans complained of lower limb pain, 65 (22%) complained of skin infection, and 58 (19.7%) complained of neuroma in site of amputated limb. Change or repair of lower extremity prosthetics with 253 (76.85%) requests, was the most frequent therapeutic command.

It seems that majority of veterans dont have acceptable physical strength and capabilities and this fact has reduced their quality of life. Therefore, appropriate protection and rehabilitation measures are recommended for this group of veterans.