Postoperative Rehabilitation Protocol for Vascular Amputation Patients

This study compared two methods of exercise rehabilitation. We sought to determine the respective benefits of upper-body reconditioning on an arm ergometer versus a unipedal exercise program using the contralateral lower limb. Unipedal cycling is a reliable and effective method for evaluating patients during exercise testing to determine their central, peripheral, and functional capacities in the contralateral limb, which ensures their independence with or without prosthetics. Exercise retraining using this same method is of definite interest in addressing the deconditioning associated with the postoperative period. Single-leg cycling thus helps optimize rehabilitation care for patients with vascular-related amputations.