How To Put On A Prosthetic Leg: Young Amputee Takes Us Through Her Morning Routine

The Amputee Coalition launched Limb Loss Awareness Month back in 2011 to help tear down the stigma associated with disabilities and empower people who have lost an arm or leg due to trauma, infection, or diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or other diseases. YouTube user Panin Ullrich has seen how a lack of openness and understanding can lead to narrow-mindedness , so that’s why she decided to do her part by showing people what it’s like to put on a prosthetic leg every day.“I really think we can eliminate any fear of disabilities — which often leads to bullying — by being honest and open about the issue,” Ullrich said in the video description.More than 500 Americans lose a limb each day. Health care costs for limb amputations, not including prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation, total over $8.3 billion a year. Ullrich’s prosthetic leg was designed for above-the-knee amputations. The Food and Drug Administration recently gave its first approval for a prosthesis for adults who have had a leg amputated above the knee or cannot use a traditional ball-and-socket prostheses.“Basically, my prosthetic leg has a valve on it, and when I step down into my prosthetics, all the air comes out of my socket and doesn't come back in and the white ring I'm pointing at is like a seal,” Ullrich added. “In one word: suction. To get it out again, I push a button on the valve so air comes in again. I make a little dance at the end so the stump goes all the way in and to make sure all the air is out and I'm good to go.” Youtube