The main problems which prevent patients from using a prosthesis involve the stump, and can be divided into two periods : before and after prosthesis use. 

Preprosthetic problems

• Stump infection, which should be treated by the doctor with antibiotics.
• Stump fissuring due to dry skin. Cream needs to be applied.
• Bone overgrowth resulting from poor surgical technique. If this cannot be solved by socket adjustment the overgrowth must be surgically removed.
• Neuroma. The ends of cut nerves will shrink and form knots, which, if they are near the skin  surface are easily bumped or pressed, causing pain. The solution is for the surgeon to operate  and   bury these knots under the muscle tissues.
• Stump edema. After amputation these will be stump swelling,  but it can be quickly reduced by stump wrapping as explained above.
• Contracture. This usually occurs before or right after amputation  and can be avoided or corrected usually by the above recommendations. If it cannot be corrected by these then surgery is need. But always remember that prevention is easier than treatment.
• Phantom sensation is a normal occurance for amputees. It is a feeling, strange but not painful, that the missing limb is still there. It will gradually disappear.
• Phantom pain is a painful sensation in part of the missing limb, for instance in the calf and foot. The best treatment is that the patient needs to know about both phantom sensation and phantom pain before the surgery, and then afterwards look after the stump, inspect and wrap it, and begin using a prosthesis as soon as possible. Both of these problems will then disappear by themselves

 Postprosthetic problems with the stump