Limb amputations are incredibly traumatic injuries. The injury irrevocably alters the amputation victim’s life. The physical limitations unfairly imposed on an amputee are fairly obvious. People, for the most part, are strong and can adapt to their new limitations with the aid of physical therapy and support from family, friends, and physicians. The amputee’s new life will be hard, to be sure even with all of the love and support one person could receive. They will experience limitations they never had before and doing the things in life that he or she once could do as a non-disabled person could be harder, or even impossible, to do.
Even if the amputation victim is eligible to receive a prosthetic replacement, a limb made out of rubber, plastic, and steel is no substitute for a live limb. Accordingly, the emotional and psychological trauma an amputation victim is tremendous and has long-lasting effects even after the amputee adapts to physical alterations. Depression and anxiety, along with lower self-esteem, are common psychological traumas from which amputees suffer. Emotional recovery might be possible with the benefit of intense therapy over a long time, but the injustice thrust upon the amputation victim from another’s negligence is not easily reconciled.
An amputee faces significant social impact from the injury as well. We are more accepting as a society of physical limitations and differences than ever before. That societal sea change is positive. However, amputees will understandably feel self-conscious in public after their injury, even if no one points and jeers. The victim is no longer whole, without any wrongdoing on his or her behalf, and that harsh reality is an exceedingly difficult condition with which one must live.
The financial impact of an amputation is substantial. The amputee might be saddled with medical bills and future medical costs, even if he or she has good insurance. Furthermore, the amputation accident victim might have to change jobs or may not be able to return to work at all, thereby placing more significant stress on the victim and his or her family.
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