Chicago Amputation Injury Attorneys

An amputation is the removal of a limb or part of a limb—such as an arm, leg, hand, foot, finger, or toe—due to injury, disease, or medical necessity. Amputations may be partial, such as the removal of a toe, or complete, such as the loss of an entire leg. The procedure can occur under controlled medical conditions or may happen suddenly as the result of a traumatic accident.

Losing a limb doesn’t just affect mobility; it also affects balance, sensation, and overall function. Because of these challenges, amputations often require physical therapy, prosthetics, and long-term rehabilitation.

Amputation surgeries vary widely in type, complexity, and expected outcome. Each level and approach is chosen based on the patient’s specific medical needs, lifestyle, and goals. Whether it’s a partial foot amputation due to diabetes or a forequarter amputation for cancer, recovery is possible with the right care and resources.

Today, surgical advancements like osseointegration and nerve rerouting are giving amputees greater function and independence than ever before. Understanding these options can help individuals make informed decisions and move forward with strength.

If a catastrophic injury such as an amputation has occurred due to the negligence of another, Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC can help.

Our attorneys have recovered many millions of dollars on behalf of our deserving clients over the last 35 years, and in our most recent case, securing a $8,200,000 settlement. We can be reached for a free consultation 24/7 at (312) 243-9922.

What is the Purpose of Amputation?

Sometimes, amputation is necessary to preserve or save a person’s life or improve quality of life. The main purposes of amputation include:

Removing diseased or dead tissue: In cases of infection, poor circulation, or necrosis, a limb may need to be removed to stop the spread to the rest of the body.
Preventing further medical complications: In conditions like gangrene or cancer, amputation may be required to stop the condition from worsening.
Reducing severe pain: In cases where a limb is no longer functional and causes unbearable pain, amputation can bring relief.
Improving mobility and function: Ironically, in some cases where a limb is severely damaged and unusable, amputation followed by a prosthetic device can actually improve a person's ability to move and function.

While a serious decision, amputation can be a life-saving or life-enhancing procedure in certain circumstances.

What is the Difference Between Traumatic and Surgical Amputation?

Amputations are typically categorized into two broad types:

Traumatic Amputation

A traumatic amputation occurs suddenly, usually as the result of an accident or severe injury. This type of amputation is not planned and is often caused by:

Car or motorcycle accidents
Workplace machinery incidents
Explosions or military combat
Natural disasters
Animal attacks or extreme trauma

Traumatic amputations are medical emergencies. Victims often face immediate shock, massive blood loss, and the urgent need for surgery to save their life or to prevent infection.

Surgical Amputation

On the other hand, a surgical amputation is a planned procedure, performed by a doctor when keeping the limb would pose more risk than benefit. These amputations often result from:

Long-term medical conditions
Severe infections
Cancerous tumors
Circulatory issues
Failed treatments that cannot restore limb function

In these cases, patients typically undergo a pre-surgical evaluation, may receive psychological counseling, and are given time to prepare for rehabilitation after surgery.

What Are the Most Common Reasons for Amputation?

Amputations are caused by a wide range of health conditions and injuries. Below are the most common reasons, each of which brings unique challenges and treatment considerations:

Diabetes and Vascular Disease

One of the leading causes of amputation in the United States is complications from diabetes and peripheral vascular disease. Diabetes can cause nerve damage (neuropathy) and reduced blood flow, especially to the feet and legs. When blood flow is restricted, even minor wounds can fail to heal, leading to severe infection or tissue death.

Patients may not feel pain or injury due to neuropathy.
Infections may progress quickly without detection.
Poor circulation prevents healing and promotes gangrene.
Often affects older adults and those with uncontrolled blood sugar levels.

When the tissue becomes too damaged or infected, amputation may be the only option to prevent life-threatening complications like sepsis.

Severe Infection or Ulcer

Chronic or aggressive infections that do not respond to antibiotics can result in amputation. This is especially common in patients with:

Pressure ulcers (bedsores)
Non-healing wounds, especially on the feet
Compromised immune systems
Osteomyelitis (bone infection)

When the infection penetrates deep into tissues or bone and cannot be controlled with medication or surgical cleaning, amputation may be necessary to prevent the spread to vital organs.

Cancer-Related Amputation

Some types of bone or soft tissue cancer, like osteosarcoma, require the removal of a limb to prevent the cancer from spreading.

Amputation may be used when a tumor is large or resistant to chemotherapy/radiation.
In some cases, limb-sparing surgeries are an alternative, but not always possible.
Cancer-related amputations (including a failure to diagnose breast cancer leading to mastectomy) often involve extensive rehabilitation and psychological care.

This type of amputation is typically decided after careful evaluation by a team of oncologists, surgeons, and rehabilitation specialists.

Frostbite

Severe frostbite occurs when tissues freeze due to prolonged exposure to subzero temperatures. Commonly affecting fingers, toes, ears, and the nose, frostbite causes:

Cell death
Circulation loss
Gangrene
Permanent tissue damage

When the body cannot rewarm the area and restore blood flow, the dead tissue may need to be surgically removed. Extreme frostbite can result in full or partial amputation, especially prevalent in those taking part in outdoor sports, homeless individuals, or those exposed due to winter disasters.

Gangrene

Gangrene is the death of body tissue due to lack of blood flow or a serious bacterial infection. It often sets in quickly, especially in:

People with diabetes
Patients with vascular issues
Individuals with injuries or infections in extremities

If left untreated, gangrene can release toxins into the bloodstream, leading to sepsis or wrongful death. Amputation is usually required to remove the affected tissue and prevent further spread.

Catastrophic Injury

Sudden, high-impact trauma can instantly destroy a limb beyond repair. Common examples include:

Vehicle crashes
Industrial or agricultural machinery accidents
Construction site falls
Gunshots or explosions

In many of these cases, the damage to bone, nerves, muscles, and blood vessels is so severe that reattachment is impossible. If the limb is crushed, mangled, or severed, doctors may have no choice but to amputate.

These types of injuries may also include traumatic amputations, where the limb is lost at the scene of the accident or in an emergency room shortly after.

Different Surgical Approaches to Amputation

When an amputation is medically necessary, surgeons consider several approaches depending on the patient’s condition, expected recovery, and long-term goals. Below are the primary surgical approaches used today:

Osseointegration - Osseointegration is a modern surgical technique in which a prosthetic implant is directly connected to the bone. Instead of using a traditional socket to hold a prosthetic limb, a titanium implant is inserted into the remaining bone and protrudes through the skin to attach an external prosthesis.
- Benefits: Improved comfort, increased range of motion, and better prosthetic control.
- Challenges: Risk of infection at the skin-implant interface; longer healing time.
- Best for: Patients who have experienced issues with traditional socket prostheses.
Standard Amputation - This is the most common surgical technique, where the surgeon removes the damaged portion of the limb and closes the wound by shaping soft tissue and muscles to create a residual limb that will fit into a prosthetic socket.
- Key steps: Removal of damaged tissue, shaping of muscles (myoplasty or myodesis), and closure of the wound.
- Best for: A wide range of injuries or illnesses including trauma, vascular disease, and infection.
Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR) - TMR is an advanced procedure that re-routes nerves from amputated limbs to remaining muscles. The goal is to allow for more intuitive control of prosthetic limbs, particularly those that are powered or robotic.
- Benefits: Better prosthetic control and reduced phantom limb pain.
- Best for: Upper limb amputees using advanced myoelectric prosthetics.
Rotationplasty - Rotationplasty is a specialized and complex procedure, often used in children with bone cancer (such as osteosarcoma). In this surgery, the lower leg is rotated 180 degrees and reattached to the thigh, allowing the ankle to function as a knee joint inside a prosthetic.
- Benefits: Greater mobility and function than standard above-the-knee amputation.
- Challenges: Cosmetic appearance and psychological adaptation.
- Best for: Young patients with tumors in the distal femur.

Lower Extremity Amputations

Lower extremity amputations are the most common types and range from minor toe removals to full pelvic disarticulations. Each has specific indications and functional outcomes.

Knee Disarticulation

This involves removing the leg at the knee joint while keeping the femur intact.

Benefits: Preserves thigh length and allows better weight-bearing.
Challenges: Cosmetic and prosthetic fitting can be more complex.

Hip Disarticulation

The entire leg is removed at the hip joint, but the pelvis remains intact.

Best for: Severe trauma, aggressive infections, or advanced cancer.
Considerations: Major surgery with long rehab; walking again with a prosthetic is difficult but possible.

Partial Foot Amputation

Involves removal of one or more toes, the forefoot, or midfoot.

Causes: Often due to diabetes, vascular disease, or frostbite.
Outcome: Many patients can walk with customized footwear or orthotics.

Below-the-Knee Amputation (BKA or Transtibial)

Removes the lower leg but preserves the knee joint.

Most common major lower limb amputation.
Benefits: Easier to use a prosthetic; better functional outcomes than above-the-knee.

Ankle Disarticulation (Syme’s Amputation)

Amputation at the level of the ankle while preserving the heel pad.

Benefits: End-bearing residual limb, ideal for prosthetic fitting.
Challenges: Limited prosthetic options and height asymmetry.

Above-the-Knee Amputation (AKA or Transfemoral)

Removes the leg above the knee joint.

Used when knee preservation is not possible.
Challenges: Harder to regain full mobility; higher energy cost when walking with a prosthesis.

Hemipelvectomy

Removes part or all of the pelvis along with the entire lower limb on one side.

Extremely rare and radical surgery, typically done for aggressive tumors.
Mobility: Wheelchair use is more common than walking.

Double Amputation

Refers to the loss of both lower limbs, either above or below the knees.

Causes: Trauma, vascular disease, or systemic infections.
Outlook: Extensive rehab needed; some patients use bilateral prosthetics or wheelchairs.

Upper Extremity Amputations

Upper limb amputations significantly affect a person’s ability to work, write, drive, and care for themselves. Modern prosthetics and surgical innovations, however, offer increasing function and independence.

Forequarter Amputation

Involves the removal of the entire arm, scapula, and part of the clavicle.

Used in: Severe cancer or trauma involving the shoulder girdle.
Recovery: Rare procedure with complex prosthetic reconstruction.

Partial Hand Amputation

Can involve removal of fingers or part of the palm.

Common in: Industrial injuries, frostbite, or infection.
Prosthetics: Often not used for fingers, though advanced finger prosthetics are available.

Shoulder Disarticulation

Amputation at the shoulder joint, preserving the scapula and clavicle.

Causes: Cancer, trauma, or electrical injuries.
Rehab: Requires highly specialized prosthetic devices for functional recovery.

Wrist Disarticulation

Involves removing the hand at the wrist, preserving the full length of the forearm bones.

Benefits: Better prosthetic control and rotation capabilities.
Challenges: Difficult prosthetic fit due to bulbous shape of the stump.

Below-the-Elbow Amputation (Transradial)

Removes part of the forearm but retains the elbow joint.

Most common upper limb amputation.
Prosthetics: Offers excellent function with myoelectric or body-powered prostheses.

Above-the-Elbow Amputation (Transhumeral)

Removes the arm above the elbow joint.

Challenges: Greater difficulty controlling prosthetics.
Solutions: TMR surgery and powered prosthetic arms improve outcomes.

Elbow Disarticulation

Amputation at the level of the elbow joint, keeping the upper arm bone intact.

Benefits: Preserves full-length upper arm for prosthetic leverage.
Limitations: Few prosthetics are specifically designed for this level.

Life After Amputation

Recovery from an amputation involves more than just healing a surgical wound. Patients often face a long road of:

Physical rehabilitation to strengthen remaining muscles
Fitting for and learning to use a prosthetic limb
Pain management, including phantom limb pain
Psychological support to deal with trauma and body image changes

Support groups, therapy, and experienced medical and legal professionals can help individuals navigate this journey and reclaim a high quality of life.

How Can the Sexner Injury Legal Team Help?

Amputation injuries—whether caused by illness, infection, or sudden trauma—are deeply serious and life-altering. But with the right medical care, rehabilitation, and support, individuals can move forward with strength and purpose.

If an amputation resulted from medical negligence, delayed treatment, or a catastrophic injury such as a car accident caused by someone else’s actions, you may also have legal rights to compensation. Medical bills, prosthetic devices, lost wages, and emotional trauma can all take a toll.

In such cases, speaking with an experienced injury attorney at Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC, can help you determine whether a lawsuit is appropriate, as well as the applicable statute of limitation (time limit to file) in order to help secure your future. In just one recent case, over 8 million dollars was recovered for our client. Every case is different, but our approach is always the same – we always aggressively advocate for our clients.

So, don’t hesitate to explore your options and protect your rights. No fees are ever charged until we’re successful. The consultation is free, confidential, and our office can be reached 365 days a year, 24 hours a day at (312) 243-9922.