Amputation involves the removal of a limb or part of an extremity. Amputation can result from accident or injury, complications from a disease, or as the result of treatment of other medical conditions such as removing infection or tumors. After an amputation, additional treatment and therapy can help an individual begin recovery and regain certain skills required for daily activities. However, this event may be severely disabling, and it can keep medical professionals from working in their usual capacity. Working with a Philadelphia amputation attorney from Seltzer & Associates can help you pursue disability insurance benefits for which you may be eligible due to amputation.
Treatment for Amputation
When a patient’s limb is amputated, there may be a long recovery process. Extensive rehabilitation and extensive therapy are typical after an amputation. The residual limb can still experience significant pain over time. These treatments can be completed as inpatient or outpatient programs and often involve a combination of both as recovery progresses. After recovering from the amputation surgery and ensuring that complications such as swelling are resolved, the patient can start working with a medical professional to get a prosthesis. Obtaining a prosthesis can help fill in some of the functions lost from the amputation. However, there will likely be residual functional deficits.
Also, amputation takes a mental and emotional toll on amputees. Adjusting to life without a limb or extremity is traumatic. Even with a prosthesis, the restored limb function may not be the same as before the amputation. There may be a need for multiple assistive devices and accommodations to facilitate various functions and activities. Over time, the amputee will need to adjust to the new prostheses as old devices wear out, and new devices become available. The constant change and readjustment to learning how to move and perform even basic tasks is likely a significant challenge.
The difficulty of adjusting to new limitations can be emotionally and mentally challenging as well. Extensive therapy may be needed to train to use each assistive device. Learning how to best utilize each assistive device takes time and can contribute to amputees’ mental and emotional challenges as pain and frustration occur.
How Amputation Affects Physicians
Amputation can have significant physical effects on a patient, but there are also mental and emotional effects. These can affect the ability of a physician to practice medicine and safely care for patients. While many amputees can return to full function, the strenuous requirements of a medical practice can preclude a return to pre-disability work. With deficits such as limited mobility, limited fine motor skills, and learning new devices, physicians, surgeons, and even medical researchers cannot return to work for a significant time if ever, based on limits in the recovery plan.
Contact a Philadelphia Amputation Attorney
At Seltzer & Associates, we know that amputation procedures can keep physicians out of work. With years of nationwide experience representing physicians in their long-term disability insurance claims, a Seltzer & Associates Philadelphia amputation attorney can help with your long-term disability claim due to amputation. Contact Seltzer & Associates to discuss your disability insurance benefits today.