Functional training of the bilateral above-knee amputee.

Rehabilitation of the amputee falls into four categories of concentration: postoperative care, fitting of the prosthesis, functional training and voca­ tional re-training. Postoperative care is intended to assuage any psychic trauma, to prevent surgical complications, and to prepare the stump for prosthetic fit. It assists the amputee in attaining some independency before the fitting of the artificial limb as well as in reducing his total depend­ ency on the prosthesis in an emergency when the prosthesis could not be used. Fitting of the prosthesis includes procedures whereby the proper prosthesis is selected and fitted for the individual. Functional training includes instruction and practice in the use of the prosthesis. Vocational re-training covers the preparation of the amputee for the occupation most suitable to his new limitations. It may include psychometric testing and prevocational exploration, vocational training and vocational guidance, schooling, and placement. This paper is concerned primarily with only one of these categories of concentration, namely, functional training of the amputee.