Glossary

Glossary

AFO – Ankle-foot orthosis
Amputation – The surgical removal of all or part of a limb due to disease or injury
AE Amputee – Person with an above-elbow amputation
AK Amputee – Person with an above-knee amputation
Ambulation – The medical term for walking
BE Amputee – Person with a below-elbow amputation
BK Amputee – Person with a below-knee amputation
Bilateral Limb – Loss of two limbs
Chopart – A partial foot amputation
CO – Cervical orthosis
Compression Stockings – Elastic garments worn to compress a limb
Congenital Limb Deficiency – An absent, shortened or abnormal limb present at birth
Contracture – Muscles shorten and make it impossible to straighten limb
Donning/Doffing – Taking your prosthesis off and on
EO – Elbow orthosis
Extension – Straightening of the limb or joint
Flexion – Bending of the limb or joint
HKAFO – Hip knee ankle foot orthosis
Hip Disarticulation – Amputation of entire lower limb at hip level
KFO – Knee ankle foot orthosis
KO – Knee orthosis
LSO – Lumbar sacral orthosis
Orthotist – One who fits and/or makes orthoses
Phantom Limb – Sensation that an amputated limb is still attached to the body
Ply – Thickness of a sock
Prosthetist – One who fits and makes prostheses
Quadrilateral – Limb loss of four limbs
Range of Motion (ROM) – The degree of motion in a joint
Residual Limb – The remaining portion of the amputated limb
SEWHO – Shoulder elbow wrist hand orthosis
Socket – Part of the prosthesis that encapsulates the residual limb
Symes – Amputation of the foot through the ankle
TLSO – Thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis
Trilateral – Limb loss of three limbs
Volume – The amount of swelling in a limb
WHO – Wrist hand orthosis
WO – Wrist orthosis