Center for Orthotics and Prosthetics 9500 Euclid Avenue/C21 Cleveland, OH 44195 216.445.9000

WEARING SCHEDULE FOR A NEW PROSTHESIS

Day 1 Wear the prosthesis for a maximum of 2 hours, with up to 1/2 hour of that standing and/or walking. These amounts are maximums, and need not all be done at once. Examine the limb after every hour of wearing, and/or after every 15 minutes of standing or walking.

Day 2 If there were no problems after the maximums from Day 1 were reached, then the new maximums are 3 hours of wearing, and up to 45 minutes of that standing and/or walking. If the maximums were not reached on Day 1, then do not increase the wearing and standing/walking times until the maximum can be reached without significant problems.

Day 3 and beyond As long as there are no persistent pain or redness problems, the wearing time can be increased by 1 hour per day and the standing/walking time increased by 15 minutes per day. If problems arise, do not increase use times until the problems are resolved.

General Considerations 1. If in doubt about a problem, discontinue use of the prosthesis and call your prosthetist.

2. If there is bloody drainage that covers an area the size of a quarter or larger, discontinue all use of the prosthesis for the rest of the day. If such drainage occurs on more than five consecutive days, discontinue the use of the prosthesis and contact your prosthetist.

3. The above wearing times are guidelines only: you do not have to meet these maximums on any given day, but you should not exceed them even if your leg feels good.

4. Check your limb and the fit of the prosthesis every hour of use during the first two to four weeks. Wear the shrinker any time that the prosthesis is not on during the first two weeks, and any other time if necessary to control any swelling problems that may arise.