Lower Limb Amputee Rehabilitation Course

This free open online course originally took place in 2014. An updated and accredited version is available on Plus .

Summary[edit | edit source]

Course Type - Open, Online
Course Co-ordinators - Barbara Rau, Rachael Lowe
Institution - International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Physiopedia
About this course - This online course covers lower limb amputee rehabilitation.
Who can take part
- Physiotherapy and Physical Therapy clinicians, students and assistants in priority; other interested professionals such as prosthetists/orthotists, occupational therapists, nurses or medical doctors interested in this subject are more than welcome to participate. 
Time commitment - 24 hours over 6 weeks
Requirements - You will complete online learning activities, engage with additional resources, take part in the conversation online and complete the course evaluation.
Assessment - There will be a final quiz and you will be asked to write a case study on an individual with amputation.
Awards - Completion certificate.

Aim[edit | edit source]

The aim of this course is to:

  1. provide participants with general knowledge about lower limb amputation,
  2. present aspects of prosthetics and prosthetic fitting,
  3. highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach of rehabilitation (from pre surgical activities to discharge and follow up),
  4. present the overall rehabilitation process specificities, and
  5. offer a worldwide discussion platform on lower limb amputee rehabilitation.

Learning Objectives[edit | edit source]

At the end of this course, students will:

  1. Refresh their knowledge on amputation, related biomechanics and surgery,
  2. Understand the importance of an interdisciplinary approach,
  3. Identify important points in the amputee assessment,
  4. Revise pre and post surgical physiotherapy objectives and activities,
  5. Get information about pain management,
  6. Understand pre and post prosthetic fitting exercise as well as gait and functional training,
  7. Revise gait analysis and understand prosthetic gait analysis/gait deviations, and
  8. Be informed about patient information at all stages.

Intended audience[edit | edit source]

This course is suitable for any Physiotherapy or Physical Therapy clinician, assistant or students who have a good understanding of the key principles of physiotherapy but little prior experience in amputees. It will also be of interest to any professionals (e.g. orthotists/prosthetists, nurses, occupational therapists, medical doctors) motivated to upgrade his/her knowledge on physiotherapy for lower limb amputees.

Course structure[edit | edit source]

Participants will be given a number of tasks each week to complete, namely:

  1. Complete between 2 and 5 learning topics each week that consist mainly of reading tasks
  2. Look at additional readings, videos and resources
  3. Complete a short quiz
  4. Complete a case study exercise
  5. Contribute to an online discussion run through the Discussion Forum.

You will also be actively encouraged to share your course activities and reflections through your own social media platforms.

In order to accommodate all internet bandwidth scenarios there are no presentations or webinars that you are required to view.  There are some YouTube videos that it will be helpful if you can watch.

Time commitment[edit | edit source]

This course is 6 weeks long.  Participants will be required to devote a minimum of 4 hours per week to the course.  These 4 hours can be completed at a time that suits you, there is no requirement to be online at a specific time.

Forum for online discussion[edit | edit source]

The online discussion will be an important aspect of this course and participants will be expected to post at least one comment each week. Only participants of the course will be able to post and read discussions within this group.    

Language[edit | edit source]

The course will be run in English although participants will only require basic English skills (reading skills are more important than conversational skills). Participants will be encouraged to be respectful and empathetic to those for whom English is not their first language (e.g. in the discussion forum, online comments).

Accreditation, Assessment and Certification[edit | edit source]

On the successful completion of this course each participant will be provided with a Physiopedia certificate of completion.  We also hope to have the course accredited by the WCPT for International Physical Therapy Continuing Education Units (IPT-CEUs).  These will be awarded provided you have:

  1. Contributed to the online discussion each week
  2. Completed the pre and post course competency tool
  3. Passed the post course quiz
  4. Written a case study on amputee rehabilitation during week 6
  5. Completed a course evaluation form

People involved in this course[edit | edit source]

Course co-ordinators[edit | edit source]

The course coordinators for this course are Barbara Rau from ICRC and Rachael Lowe from Physiopedia. Both Barbara and Rachael believe that providing a basic theoretical course in amputee rehabilitation is an excellent stepping stone to delivering more time efficient education in higher level knowledge and practical skills for many workforces globally. This course could also offer the basic theoretical knowledge before organizing a more advanced practical course tailored to specific needs.

Course facilitators[edit | edit source]

Our course facilitators are all clinicians with a great deal of experience of managing individuals with limb deficiency.  They have been instrumental in creating the course content and will be guiding you through the course and answering your questions in the discussion forum each week.

  • Aicha Benyaich, PT, ICRC, Iraq
  • Francois Friedel, PT, ICRC, Columbia
  • Leslie Angama-Muller, PT, ICRC, Togo

Discussion moderators[edit | edit source]

Look out for our discussion forum moderators.  These experienced clinicians will be there to answer your questions and stimulate the conversation!

  • Ghassan Al-Alousi, P&O, PRP/ICRC, Iraq
  • Maria Arranz, PT, PRP/ICRC North Korea
  • Solenne Chupin, PT, ICRC/SFD, Tanzania
  • Navid Dadbin, PT, ICRC/SFD, Tadjikistan
  • Sara Drum, PT, ICRC/PRP, Ethiopia
  • Judith Hall, P&O, ICRC/PRP, Afghanistan
  • Christine Lund, PT, ICRC/PRP, Iraq
  • Barbara Nadasiova, PT, ICRC/PRP, Pakistan
  • Venkat Packrisamy, PT, former ICRC
  • Therese Powell, PT, ICRC/PRP, North Korea
  • Cornelia Barth, ICRC/PRP, DRC
  • Ahmad Abdal Qader Hasan Al-Mosa, PT ICRC/PRP, Sudan
  • Albarawi Saeda, PT, ICRC/PRP, Gaza
  • Garridou Lou, PT, ICRC/PRP Guinea Bissau
  • Hekman Els, PT, ICRC/PRP Afghanistan
  • Mosa Ahmed, PT, ICRC/PRP Gaza
  • Halford Gregory, P&O, ICRC/PRP Gaza
  • Kim Kunthea P&O Cat I, Cooperative Orthotic Prosthetic Enterprise PO Adviser. Vientiane, Laos PDR
  • Rachael Walton-Mouw, PT

Course Contacts[edit | edit source]

Throughout this course you should email us if you have any problems at all. We would prefer that you let us know about problems or difficulties that you have encountered so that we can provide assistance.

Contact course co-ordinator

Resources[edit | edit source]

You might this list of resources useful throughout the course.

Thanks![edit | edit source]

Thanks to the following organisations and individuals for their contributions to this course: