Amputee Rehabilitation
The Amputee Rehabilitation Program of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network (SRN) provides comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation for patients who have experienced limb loss.
The Spaulding Network offers expert care for the full continuum of rehabilitation needs including preoperative, acute postoperative, pre-prosthetic, prosthetic training, and long-term follow-up of individuals with upper and lower limb amputation.
At every stage, our goal is to help patients maximize their functional independence, find emotional strength and confidence, and successfully transition back to home, work, and the community.
Approach to Care
Our clinical teams work collaboratively to help patients adapt to their condition and regain function and independence. Patients and family members take an active role in the process and are consulted in decisions about courses of treatment, prosthesis selection, and therapeutic options.
Our Amputee Rehabilitation Program includes:
- Pre-operative consultation
- Acute postoperative care with pain and medical co-morbidity management, and psychological support
- Pre-prosthetic residual limb management, education, and rehabilitation therapy
- Peer visitation and support group
- Expert prosthetic prescription, fitting, fabrication and training
- Community reintegration including vocational consultation, recreation and driver training
- Research in advanced technologies
The Spaulding Network provides care at multiple levels to meet a full range of rehabilitation needs after limb loss, including:
- Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) – for patients who require the most intensive, interdisciplinary rehabilitation services
- Long-Term Acute Care (LTAC) – for patients with complex medical and rehabilitation needs
- Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) – for patients who require skilled nursing services or less intensive short term rehabilitation care
- Outpatient Rehabilitation – at 23 outpatient centers across Eastern Massachusetts, with prosthetic clinics at our Boston and Wellesley centers.
Expertise
Our interdisciplinary teams have advanced training and experience in caring for patients with limb loss. Teams may include physicians, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, therapeutic recreation specialists, prosthetists, wound specialists, psychologists, dieticians, case managers, and social workers. Our teams work in close coordination to help patients adapt to limb loss and regain maximum function and independence.
Program Outcomes/Success Rates
In 2010, patients in the Amputee Rehabilitation Program of the Spaulding Network achieved higher rates of functional improvement than national averages (UDS and e-rehab databases).
Program Director(s)
David Crandell, MD, is the Medical Director in the Amputee Rehabilitation Program at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston and directs the inpatient and outpatient programs. He is a board-certified physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and an instructor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Crandell has over 17 years of experience working with amputees and amputee athletes. He is the President and Team Physician of the American Amputee Hockey Association and Vice President for the USA Hockey Warriors Ice Hockey Program, enabling wounded military servicemen and women to skate as part of their rehabilitative process. He is a physician member of the Amputee Coalition of America.
Research & Innovation
Spaulding Network is dedicated to researching new treatments in the field of Amputee Rehabilitation. Spaulding researchers, including physicians and other clinicians, oversee ongoing research studies and clinical trials such as those listed below.
Research Program
Power Foot Study 2010
Description
Comparison of trans-tibial amputee gait with active and passive foot prosthesis
Research Program
Sensory Input in Upper Limb Prostheses 2009-2011
Description
Developing a sensory feedback system that will enable upper limb amputees to “feel” from a prosthetic hand
Research Program
BADER Consortium Affiliate
2011-2016
Description
Participating in multicenter rehabilitation research consortium developing treatment methods to optimize functional outcomes for patients with severe limb trauma and amputation
Research Program
Best Practices for Amputations 2011-2012
Description
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative working group member developing guidelines for Amputee Care following disasters and conflicts
Locations
Amputee Rehabilitation is offered at these Spaulding locations:
Inpatient
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston
Spaulding Hospital Cambridge
Spaulding Rehabilitation Cape Cod
Spaulding Hospital North Shore
Spaulding Nursing and Therapy Center West Roxbury
Spaulding Nursing and Therapy Center North End
Related Services
The following services are related to the Amputee Rehabilitation Program at Spaulding.
Dialysis
Urology
Psychiatry/Psychology Services
Wound Care
Assistive Technology (ATEC)/ Alternative and Augmentative Communication (ACC)
Pressure Mapping Systems
Prosthetics/Orthotics
Wheelchair/Seating Clinic
Adaptive Sports
Telemetry
IV Therapy
Remarkable Recoveries
All four of her limbs were amputated after complications following childbirth.
Adaptive Sports & Exercise
Our programs provide access to a range of therapeutic activities from cycling to water sports to golf.
