In collaboration with Alberta Orthotic & Prosthetic Centre, we have recognized that rehabilitation for amputees is limited in our city. With an expressed interest in this area by one of our physiotherapists, and with other members of our multi-disciplinary team we have launched an Amputee Rehab Program.

Amputees face unique rehabilitation challenges over their lifetime. At Group23, we offer a multi-disciplinary approach including physiotherapy, physiatry, sports medicine physician, massage therapy, sport psychology, and weight and lifestyle management, along with working closely with the patients’ prosthetist.

The rehabilitation approach is a full body assessment to help identify and work to meet each patient’s #RiseAbove SMART goals. As the program grows, we hope it will become a place for amputees to support each other in their rehab journeys, as well as become inspirations to each other and to everyone at the clinic. The current patients involved in the program are very motivated to improve their overall strength and function to allow them to reach goals including becoming elite athletes.

Sara is a motivated amputee that has been using the Amputee Program to help her reach her rehabilitation goals. Sara became an amputee in 2017 and has had limited individualized rehab since that time. Sara expressed her thoughts on her experience with the amputee program.

What are your goals from engaging in this rehab program? What drew you to the program? My main goal engaging in this rehab program is to gain strength and to reduce how much I compensate with my “good leg” to minimize long term impacts of my injury. My main draw to the program is Group23’s multidisciplinary approach – that I can have different specialists collaborating on my case instead of me having to be the middleman. I really believe in teamwork when it comes to rehabilitation and feel lucky to have found a program that believes in it as much as I do. 

In what ways has this program helped you so far? So far, this program has helped me activate my amputated side more than before. More importantly, it has helped me identify key areas of improvement to work on. 

How does this program compare to other therapy programs you have been involved with? The flexible hours allow me to work around my full-time work schedule which has been really helpful. This program also allows me to focus on certain activities that I’d like to do/learn alongside the basic rehab activities. The long-term vision has been very motivational for me. One of the main differentiators of this program for me is having multiple healthcare professionals collaborate on my case. 

Would you recommend this program to other amputees? Is there a particular stage in rehab you feel it is more suited for? Yes, I would recommend it to other amputees. I think any stage of rehab is suitable to start the program. Of course, getting involved sooner rather than later is always better – it gives you and your therapist a chance to build a strong foundation that you can always build on as you get more active and prevent issues related to overcompensating with your stronger side.