Types of partial prosthetic feet

Partial foot prostheses are generally divided into four types: foot sleeve type, shoe type, calf type partial foot prosthesis and decorative toe sleeve.

① Decorative toe sleeve, also known as artificial toe, is used for patients with partial or total toe amputation. Because patients who have lost their toes can generally walk in ordinary shoes if the soles of their feet are not painful, the false toe cover molded with silicone rubber or polyvinyl chloride resin is only used for decoration and filling.

② Foot-sleeved partial foot prosthesis, also known as foot-sleeved prosthetic half-foot, is used for patients with metatarsal amputation or tarsometatarsal joint amputation. Its function is mainly to fill the vacancy. The traditional residual foot receiving cavity is made of leather according to the plaster model, and then bonded to the rubber foot end with a plantar leather pad and sponge (compensation tarsometatarsal joint), which is opened at the back or side and fastened with a belt. Nowadays, polyurethane resin is mostly used for molding, which is not only light in weight and easy to clean, but also has a good appearance and is more convenient for wearing various shoes.

③ Shoe-shaped partial foot prosthesis, also known as shoe-shaped false half-foot, is a partial foot prosthesis used in cooperation with orthopedic shoes. It is mostly used for plantar amputation, tarsometatarsal joint amputation, patients with plantar pain or foot deformity, and can also be customized according to patients' requirements (especially those who are used to wearing leather boots). The difference between it and ordinary orthopedic shoes is that this kind of shoes should have the compensatory function of tarsometatarsal joint; Moreover, when it is difficult to push back when wearing this kind of shoes, the bottom of the boat (shaking hands) or metatarsal bone strips can be added to the sole.

④ Leg-type partial foot prosthesis is a product combined with leg orthosis or artificial leg, which is mostly used for patients with severe foot function loss or foot deformity after partial foot amputation. Such as tarsometatarsal joint amputation and adnexal amputation. After this amputation, the heel tends to lean inward and backward, and the bearing function of the residual limb is not good (the residual limb hurts when it touches the ground, and the skin is easy to break). In this case, leg orthoses or artificial legs should be used for partial foot repair. In the past, leg orthoses were mostly bracket-type. The receiving cavity is made of leather, bonded to the rubber front foot, reinforced with a metal bracket and fixed on the lower leg with a fastening belt. It has the disadvantages of heavy weight and easy atrophy of calf muscles. Nowadays, thermoplastic plates are mostly used, such as shoehorns. When the residual limb can't bear the load, it needs to use patellar ligament to bear the load. The receiving cavity has a window according to the practice of Syme prosthesis, and the front foot adopts polyurethane or rubber prosthetic foot. This kind of partial prosthetic foot can actually be regarded as a special kind of prosthetic leg.