Prosthetic stockings

Abstract

A temporary post-operative stump sock for amputees comprises a flexible, resilient composite material including a base layer of a flexible, resilient open cell material; a skin-protecting first layer of a soft, flexible porous material overlying a first face of the base layer, and a second layer of a protective fabric overlying a second face of the base layer. The composite material is cut, overlaid and seamed to form a tubular sock which is open at its top, closed at its bottom and along its sides and shaped generally to conform to the shape of the amputee's stump. The stump sock is applied to the stump, after which a socket portion of the temporary prosthesis is wrapped around the stump to make the patient ambulatory within a short period after the amputation. Another embodiment of the invention provides a permanent stump sock comprising a flexible, resilient composite material which includes a base layer of a flexible, resilient open cell elastomeric material, and first and second layers of a flexible, stretchable protective fabric adhered to opposite sides of the elastomeric layer. The composite material is cut, overlaid and seamed to form a tubular sock. In both embodiments, one or more of the outer stretchable layers of fabric can have greater elasticity laterally than longitudinally. In one technique for treating an amputee, the stump sock is formed with a volume less than the volume of the amputee's permanent stump so that the stump sock can be stretched when applied to the stump to maintain the stump in circumferential compression during use.