A Tool To Help You Apply Your Shrinker
Another thing we would like to discuss with you is the use of a tool that can help you apply your shrinker. You may be wondering, why do I need help to apply my shrinker? That has got to be a piece of cake!
You may be wondering, “Is the author just trying to sell me the tool?”
Fair question.
One of the reasons for the tool is that you may be all to aware of the fact that your residual limb is sensitive to the touch. Would you agree with that statement? If your residual limb is sensitive then the application of the shrinker (which is premade to be SNUG!) might create a sensitivity issue on some level as it is applied to your residual limb. Usually, once they are on though, people can really like them, but it is the act of applying the shrinker that can prove to be a daily task for more than one reason.
Quick timeout.
Are we saying do not use a shrinker? No.
Can you apply a shrinker without the tool? Yes.
Does everyone need to go out and rush to buy this tool? No.
We are just saying that the act of applying the shrinker requires some forethought, especially when you just had the amputation surgery. Last time I checked, people do not prefer discomfort or pain, so minimizing any potential for that is helpful.
So instead of us trying to sell you on the idea, we will let you decide by presenting both sides of the story, as we see it. You may decide that you want to save a few bucks and your residual limb is not all that sensitive anyways. So, in that case you can forget the tool we are talking about. If your residual limb is sensitive though and you are possibly in the “temporary discomfort” category when applying the shrinker, then read on.
Let’s imagine a scenario where you need to apply the shrinker we have been talking about each and every day for a minimum of one month. Many people use this to shrink down so it will be part of many people’s daily routing for several weeks at the least. We already know that cleaning it will require removing it and then air drying it potentially, from before.
It is not like you just put it on once and then forget it. The old “set it and forget it” sounds nice, but it is not real in this situation. None of us would prefer to keep the same clothes on and not wash them for weeks, right? So we probably should follow this basic premise for the shrinker as well.
At some point within (hopefully) a 24 – 48 hour period though you should consider doffing (removing) the shrinker in order to clean it and to monitor your skin. Unless you are under orders from the doctor to think otherwise. For example, you probably wouldn’t wear the same socks everyday without cleaning them so we should consider the shrinker in a similar light.
You are going to be in a position where you are reapplying the residual limb shrinker and removing it on almost a daily basis. Agreed?
To be fair, the application of the shrinker is a task. This is true whether you have sensitivity or pain, or you do not. We are going to be real with you here. It’s a fair label for this process.
Is it impossible? Absolutely not.
Is the application of the shrinker a “joy ride”? No.
It is a task, either for you if you have the ability to be an independent person, or for those who are trying to help you apply it.
A friendly statement that the first time you apply the shrinker by yourself, it might seem harder than it will be each consecutive time. Please do yourself a favor and do not get too wrapped up with your judgement of the shrinker the first time you go to apply it. Some people can pysch themselves out of applying a compression garment and give up way to early.
As long as a licensed prosthetist has provided the garment to you, stay with it and the process gets easier as your skill level quickly improves. It is like trying to ride a bike for the first time and then after the first time you ride it, you label it as an extremely difficult task. We need to not label the process too quickly, or in haste.
What does this process look like in real time?
Basically, many amputees have some degree of either pain, or sensitivity in their residual limb after the surgery. But often times post surgical protocol dictates that this shrinker has to be worn for healing / shrinking purposes. Therefore, the moment arrives when the shrinker needs to be applied. It should only take about a minute to perform the process. Just a minute is all. But you know how it goes when there is pain and / or sensitivity. That minute might seem like 10 minutes.
If someone has discomfort they are either going to grin and bear it a little bit (or a more than a little bit) while this shrinker is applied. Once it is on, many people often state how good it feels but the process is its own. Once it is on, the pain of the application can stop for many amputees. And the positive effects can start to kick in for these individuals as well.
So, in our efforts to try and explain this to you, we would like to put it to you this way. There is a certain level of pressure or force needed to get something on the residual limb that has a compressive quality to it. It doesn’t put itself on. Nor does it slip on like one of your socks. Its kind of like putting a size 9 sock on a size 11 foot, in a general sense. But you can probably agree that the application of this particular sock could fit, but its gonna take some work. Right?
Each pull up the residual limb will get the shrinker closer to where it needs to be, but every time I have been in the room when one is applied it takes at least 3-4 good pulls, if you will. Up one side and then up the other side with each hand. If you have ever worn compression stockings for one or both of your legs and feet on an uninvolved side, you have an idea of what we are talking about.
So in essence, we are talking about the application of this shrinker and it can be achieved without the use of this tool we are about to talk about. We are describing it in this way to you because we do not want you to think the tool is the only way this compression garment can be applied. It is just going take a little bit of work.
Ok. The tool. I have kind of built this up a little bit, so I better deliver here, right?
Here is an example of what we are talking about :
The tool is actually a tube. Often times when a prosthetist buys the tool from a manufacturer or from a warehouse that sells prosthetic supplies, it comes to you ultimately as a clear cylinder without a top of bottom as shown above. The ones above depict the general kinds that are commonly used that are 6-8” diameter. This is before the prosthetic company slaps their sticker all over it so you are never tempted to call another group to make your leg. Hey, it happens. Trust me.
When talking to amputees and prosthetists in the field, we have sometimes heard people mention using a pvc pipe to perform the same function. I suppose it could work, but the probably you will have to deal with is :
- Securing a 6-8” wide pvc pipe
- Cutting It
- Sanding the edges so you do not rip the compression garment when you place it on the pvc pipe.
Are we saying you have to do it our way? No.
We are just talking about the hurdles that will come up when it comes to this kind of an approach. It might be best and less costly in terms of cash and your time if you just get the one that the prosthetist offers.
So, how the heck can a tube help you apply your shrinker?
Were you expecting something with more flair? : )
The tube can mean a lot to you. The tube can mean a lot to the family members who are helping you. Not because of what it looks like. Its for what it does. You want the function.
Please quickly reimagine the process we described before. Where the shrinker is kind of like a size 9 sock going on a size 11 swollen foot. Then, there is the aspect of using some level of force in 3-4 different pulls up the residual limb. You can imagine the process. It is kind of like in the thought of someone trying to put there skinny jeans on.
Now, instead of using the grin and bear it approach, you can now pre-stretch the shrinker over the tube. You put the shrinker inside out and reflect it over the top of the donning tube. Ding Ding! Now we are talking! If you pre-stretch the shrinker and reflect it over the 8” tube we are talking about, then you apply it more easily in many cases up the residual limb.
If you think about it, your residual limb is most likely not 8” wide, especially if you are a below knee amputee, so if the garment is already pre-stretched for a brief period of time then you can essentially place your residual limb inside of the tube and then allow the shrinker to gradually go up and onto the residual limb.
If you call our office, we can send you a video on this process, if this wording doesn’t hit home. You have to talk with your prosthetist first though before using our ideas. We cannot be responsible for any mishaps. – You can email me directly at [email protected] if you want the video or to contact us with other questions.
Speaking of tools, there is another prosthetic tool that is used sometimes that you will need to know about. Your doctors and therapists will be so impressed that you know all of this stuff without them having to tell you! I wish I was there with you to see their faces! : )