Amputation Issues
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51. Proprio Foot Because the World Isn’t Flat
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
51. Proprio Foot Because the World Isn’t Flat Proprio foot because the world isn’t flat. The new Ossur prosthetic foot changes how you walk. The prosthesis moves with you, flexing as a natural foot would. You have the freedom to look ahead more because you feel more stable. You will find yourself looking people…
Read More 50. Yes, I Want To Be A Cyborg!
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Yes, I Want To Be A Cyborg! Yes, I Want To Be A Cyborg! Ask an amputee and they will tell you they want something better than a passive prosthesis. They want an ankle that moves on their command and relays the terrain back to their nervous system. After years of lugging around a…
Read More 40. Psychological and Emotional Reaction to Amputation
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Psychological and Emotional Reaction to Amputation Psychological and emotional reaction to amputation is often ignored. Identifying its absence gives credence to its essential need. Psychological and emotional recovery can be divided into three major areas. While the stump is healing it is time to counteract the loss of muscle strength. There is a reduction in…
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37. You Can Achieve Body Confidence After An Amputation
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
37. You Can Achieve Body Confidence After An Amputation You can achieve bodily confidence after an amputation. An amputation forces you to accept your changed body image. People who see their body image accurately have a better time adjusting to its changed shape. After an amputation one third face severe depression. You must accept the…
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49. Neurotechnical Advancements Bring Promise to Amputees
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
49. Neurotechnical Advancements bring promise to Amputees Neurotechnical advancements bring promise to amputees. Professor Stanisa Raspopovic and his research team have made a breakthrough in below-knee prostheses. Imagine having a lower leg prosthesis that is so sensitive that when it is resting on a wall, you feel the pressure of the wall on your stump! Neurotechnical…
Read More 44. Successful Coping Strategies
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
New Amputees Need These Coping Strategies for Limb Loss Successful Coping Strategies Successful Coping Strategies for recent Limb Loss are the focus of this article. Amputation brings an avalanche of feelings enveloping you and threatening your very existence. After the trauma of limb loss, the last thing you want to do is face your feelings.…
Read More 33. Reducing Your Significant Other’s PTSD
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
33. Reducing Your Significant Other’s PTSD Reducing your significant other’s PTSD is often overlooked. . There are many ways to describe the stress and emotional pain that people go through being a caretaker. Physicians call it the caretakers’ syndrome, although it is not a medical disorder. It has other names like post-tra umatic stress disorder, caretakers stress…
Read More 36. Three Ways to Manage Your Panic Attack
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
36. Three Ways to Manage Your Panic Attack Three ways to manage your panic attack may be helpful. Panic attacks are not uncommon: Six million adults in the United States have a diagnosed panic disorder, and millions more struggle with panic attacks every day. They can be terrifying. Your heart may beat out of control,…
Read More 35. Physical Therapy is not a Jail Sentence
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Physical therapy can return your level of functioning What about physical therapy can return your level of functioning? Amputation has several phases. If you don’t use the time till your surgery wisely, you miss having a team of specialists ready when you need them. There is no time to prepare if you are involved in…
Read More 25. Reducing Your Significant Other’s PTSD
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
25. Reducing Your Significant Other’s PTSD Reducing your significant other’s PTSD is often overlooked. . There are many ways to describe the stress and emotional pain that people go through being a caretaker. Physicians call it the caretakers’ syndrome, although it is not a medical disorder. It has other names like post-traumatic stress disorder, caretakers…
Read More 7. Breakthrough In Phantom Limb Pain
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Breakthrough in Phantom Limb Pain Breakthrough in Phantom Limb Pain started when it was first recorded some 400 years ago by French surgeon Ambroise Paré. At that time, he operated on wounded soldiers, many of whom complained of a mysterious pain in amputated limbs. Despite its long history, phantom limb pain remains poorly understood. There…
Read More 27. How to Find the Best Prosthetist
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
27. How to find the best Prosthetist How to find the best Prosthetist is important because you are going to be under their care…
Read More 26. Stop Feeling Part of You is Missing
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Stop Feeling Something is Missing Stop Feeling Part of You is Missing, says your significant other. Your prosthesis says Stop Feeling Part of You is Missing. Amputees all face this even after they have felt they are back to doing almost everything they did before their amputation. That feeling of loss can erupt suddenly for…
Read More 11. How to Reduce Amputee Depression
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
11. How to Reduce Amputee Depression This is advice from one amputee to another. How to reduce amputee depression. These are practical tips divided into physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of depression. Here is how to reduce amputee depression. Depression is anger turned inward. Here are some ways to deal with this emotion. You…
Read More 34. Start Enjoying Valentine’s Day
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
34. Start Enjoying Valentine’s Day Start enjoying Valentine’s day by getting the courage to date and reconsidering falling in love is on everyone’s mind. Let’s exclude a dozen roses, chocolates, and a hallmark card crew that have the holiday all covered, or so they think. Being an amputee may make it harder to enjoy…
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38. Ending Cripple Thinking
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
38. Ending Cripple Thinking “One Thing You Can’t Hide Is When You’re Crippled Inside” John Lennon Its time for ending cripple thinking. It has been almost three years since my below-knee amputation. I am looking out for ways that I can lead my life more like a normal person. While I was waiting for…
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5. The Agony of Being Misdiagnosed Bipolar
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
5. The Agony of Being Misdiagnosed Bipolar It is very clear what the agony of being misdiagnosed bipolar after your amputation is. So many amputees have such intense feelings after their amputations that they could be misdiagnosed as manic depression. Current psychiatric research has found that sixty-nine percent of patients are misdiagnosed with Manic Depression…
Read More 24. You Can Stop a Panic Attack After an Amputation
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
You Can Stop a Panic Attack After an Amputation You can stop a panic attack after an amputation. You feel like you have a heart attack. You wake up in a hospital bed, not wanting to look at what is missing, but more importantly, you may not have had time to prepare for an amputation.…
Read More 13. On the Joy of Walking Again
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
On The Joy of Walking Again On the Joy of walking again means the goal of any amputation recovery is to get back on your feet. Frederic Gros wrote a book that reinforced the joy of meandering by describing the way several inspiring philosophers expressed their appreciation of the psychological effects of walking: Thoreau, Nietzsche,…
Read More 20. Make Your Bodily Consciousness Grow a New Leg
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
20. Make Your Bodily Consciousness Grow a New Leg Ask any amputee, and they all will tell you that you can’t grow a new one. Make your Bodily Consciousness grow a new leg is the title of this article. The point of this article is that if you wear your prosthesis long enough, your consciousness…
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29. Amputation Without Regret
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Amputation Without Regret Is an amputation without regret even possible? How to have an amputation is for you.. The loss of a limb can have a considerable psychological impact. The grief and bereavement people face after an amputation are equivalent to the death of a loved one. ignoring the psychological impact of amputation will be your…
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32. Is PTSD Inevitable After an Amputation?
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
32. Is PTSD Inevitable after an Amputation? Is PTSD is inevitable after an operation? The major symptoms of PTSD are reliving the traumatic event in vivid nightmares, unwanted memories, and flashbacks. Heart palpitations and panic attacks occur as the trauma is relived. Patients report feeling wound up, unable to concentrate or sleep, and experiencing unprovoked…
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14. Resolving Amputation Anger
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
13. Resolving Amputation Anger Here is a good example of resolving amputation anger. There is really a band calling themselves the “Angry Amputees” and have a Facebook page. Daly, their lead vocalist is actually an amputee. He had lost both legs and fingers. He started the band to deal with his anger. His ability to…
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4. Growing Old Gracefully with Your Amputation
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
4. Growing Old Gracefully With Your Amputation Things Amputees Can Do To Extend Their Lives There are things amputees can do to extend their lives. This article will address how to grow old gracefully with your amputation. Ever notice you never hear anyone talk to you about amputations and aging? Though we don’t have much…
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16. Self-quarantine One Leg at a Time
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Self-quarantine One Leg at a Time Self-quarantine one leg at a time is now a reality. We are at the beginning of what promises to be a long, pandemic summer. Coronavirus cases are still climbing in nineteen states. Second, wearing a mask self-quarantining is one of the few ways we have of protecting ourselves…
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22. Top Advancements in Prostheses in 2020
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
22. Top Advancements in Prostheses in 2020 Prostheses have progressed dramatically in recent years, with many people choosing to move away from the standard NHS-provided prostheses, to highly functioning, technologically advanced limbs. Here are the top advancements in prostheses in 2020. With these types of prostheses now available on the market, there’s a wide…
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10. Journaling Improves Amputation Recovery
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Journaling Improves Amputation Recovery Journaling helps in amputation recovery. You don’t know what journaling can do for your amputation till you try it. It puts a progression to your thoughts. You see the change in much more detail. By reflecting on things you wrote in the past, you see how much things have changed. Journaling…
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8. Beating Amputation Phantom Pain
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
8. Beating Amputation Phantom Pain Ask any amputee who has tried beating phantom pain. Their goal is beating amputation phantom pain. You know phantom pain when you feel it. It comes from where your limb used to be. The sensation starts as discomfort. It is a real feeling coming from the missing limb. It might…
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17. Unlocking the Secrets of Being an Amputee Spouse
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Unlocking the Secrets of Being an Amputee Spouse Unlocking the Secrets of Being an Amputee Spouse was a hard book to write because it grew from experiences that were intense feelings. For some time now I have felt a gentle nudge from the universe to write a book about our experience when my husband suffered…
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30. Beware Your Amputation Can Become a Major Depression
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Beware Your Amputation Can Become a Major Depression Dealing With Your Feelings Many people never see their recovery from their amputation stall. Beware your amputation can become major depression. Getting into an auto accident leaves us no chance to prepare for our amputation. As a result, many amputees have not resolved the emotional loss they…
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15 Amputation Analytics That May Inspire You
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
There is at least 15 amputation analytics that may inspire you, Limb loss is much more common than many people realize, and the numbers are growing. By learning the facts about limb loss, we can start to be better advocates for our friends and family, feel less alone during our journey with limb…
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18. Reducing Amputee Stress
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
18. Reducing Amputee Stress Stress is what you feel when you can’t get out of a negative situation. Reducing amputee stress is a major problem. It becomes paradoxical when you give up trying. Like an employee returning to work while being unable to be tested for Coronavirus because they are not “normal” according to the…
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6 Steps to Having a Full and Active Recovery
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
6 Steps to Having a Full and Active Recovery There are 6 steps to having a full and active recovery. After many souls searching I attribute them to my success in quickly becoming a confident, active, and fully independent single-leg amputee. Each of the five recommendations can be adjusted to fit any lifestyle the individual…
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1. Amputee Skills Defeat Pandemic Fatigue Syndrome
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Amputee Skills Defeat Pandemic Fatigue Syndrome Amputee skills defeat pandemic fatigue syndrome, Almost everyone is unusually anxious because of COVID-19. However, being in a constant state of anxiety and stress will not do you any good. After all, stress is known to affect our immune system. So, what should we do? We can try coping with…
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2. Taking Charge of Post-Amputation Depression
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Taking Charge of Post-Amputation Depression You have a flood of different feelings right after your amputation. Shock and disbelief come when you see part of you missing. You feel frustrated when you realize you have a long recovery ahead of you. At some point, profound sadness and grief overtake you when issues like returning to work…
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12. Assessing Amputation Depression
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Assessing Amputation Depression Assessing amputation depression is not hard. You are recovering from amputation and know something is dragging you down. Assessing amputation depression is the next step. In a recent study, twenty percent of all amputees suffer from depression. After waking up in the hospital to realize you have had a foot or arm…
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19. Stopping Amputee Self-Sabotage
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Stopping Amputee Self-Sabotage Stopping amputee self-sabotage is something all amputees must face. Recognizing what triggers the destructive amputation recovery self-sabotage is the major focus for anyone who lost a limb. You set a goal for yourself and somehow never reach it. You find yourself back in the same situation no matter how much planning, strategizing,…
Read More 21. Fall Prevention Enables You
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
What is Fall Prevention? you ask. Fall Prevention enables You Identifying places and behaviors that can easily result in a loss of balance is called fall prevention. The more you take control of this process, the more confident you feel about returning to your-pre amputation lifestyle. If you haven’t been taught and warned about the…
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31. Ending Amputee Helplessness
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Ending Amputee Helplessness Ending amputee helplessness sounds easy but you must understand what causes it and how to stop it in its tracts. Every amputee must face feelings of helplessness at some point in their recovery. For amputees who wake in the ER after a car wreck, it may be sooner. Your first reaction is…
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Pre-amputation Assessment
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Pre-amputation Assessment I found this article on assessment after my amputation. I was struggling with the raw feelings of never having my foot again. I felt like I was waking up from a dream where everything is in chaos, and regrets are not resolved. I wake up to people trying to be logical and not…
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3. Seizing Control of Amputation Anxiety
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
3. Seizing Control of Amputation Anxiety What Causes Amputation Anxiety Thirty-five percent of recent amputees suffer from anxiety. Many of them find they are overwhelmed by that fear. However, there are some specific triggers that the newly amputated face that is unique. This empowers you to seize control of amputation anxiety. Feelings of shock, anger,…
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48. Using Your Amputee Skills to Cope with the Pandemic
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
48. Using your Amputee Skills to Cope with the Pandemic Using your amputee skills to cope with the pandemic. You have been in a precautious state long enough to know you are using your amputee skills to cope with the pandemic. These days, we all have to accept the anxiety inherent in living with the…
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Amputee Store Teleprosthetics
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Amputee Store Teleprosthetics During this global pandemic, telehealth is emerging as an effective and sustainable solution to stem the spread of COVID-19. We’re here to address your immediate prosthetic concerns from the comfort and safety of your home. Depending upon where you live in the world, getting your prosthetic concerns answered may be difficult. Amputee…
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28. Amputees Skills Help Deal with a Pandemic
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
28. Amputees Skills Help Deal with a Pandemic Amputees skills help deal with a pandemic. The Coronavirus has left people in social isolation. They are housebound, and their movement is restricted. People are panicking because their lives are out of their control. They can no longer go to work and don’t have a clear idea…
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23. Why Do You Call Yourself Disabled?
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Why Do You Call Yourself Disabled? Why Do You Call Yourself Disabled? The real question is why do you call yourself disabled? You must do two things before you can honestly answer that question. You must realize the difference between disabled and abled. Not a silly distinction but it is a concrete distinction. Are you…
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Consultation Calendar
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
CONSULTATIONS CALENDAR KEVIN KAPPLER, PH.D. Contact Dr. Kappler SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION INITIAL CONSULTATIONS FOR NEW CLIENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE
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9. Amputation Essential Checklist
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
9. Amputation Essential Checklist Amputation Essential Checklist Amputation Essential Checklist is a must-follow. You are facing an amputation. Here is an Amputation Essential Checklist of things you have to do before you get your amputation. How you got here is either the result of a medical condition in your limb that has become critical…
Read More Home
By Kevin Kappler, Ph.D. |
Amputee.coach HomePost-amputationAmputation Issues39. Don’t Have Your Amputation Without Doing This FirstProblem Solving Amputee.coach HomePost-amputationAmputation Issues39. Don’t Have Your Amputation Without Doing This FirstProblem Solving You Can Lead a Happy Life! Let Me Show You How! Yes, You Can! KEVIN KAPPLER, PH.D. AMPUTEE LIFECOACH As a fellow amputee, I know the psychological difficulties people face…
Read More Resources
By Mystic River |
Amputee.coach HomePost-amputation39. Don’t Have Your Amputation Without Doing This FirstHome RESOURCES COMMON QUESTIONS & CONCERNS What to Expect Once You Face an Amputation If your amputation was like mine no one talked to you about what to expect psychologically. If you start a conversation discussing your psychological apprehension it will briefly be acknowledged but quickly…
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