Amputation comes in different forms for different reasons. Disease and injury are the main reasons for having a limb amputated. Examples of this are advanced stages of cancer in a limb, extra digits (fingers or toes), severe injury, bone infection and more. To focus on the lower extremities we look at the legs, ankles, feet and toes.

In order to perform an amputation the limb is removed at the best possible spot, as close to the infection or problem as possible and still leaving enough healthy area to cover the exposed bone to create a ?nub? or ?stub.? Sometimes elements will be inserted during surgery that will later have a prosthetic attached to it.

While there is more acceptance of amputees among social groups today, amputees still have difficulty in some areas - mainly, shopping for products. The most common problem comes for those who have had a leg or foot amputated and must buy shoes. In the past, the only way to buy shoes was by the pair. Stores didn't accommodate the special needs of people with ?not normal? feet or fewer than two feet.

Now with the help of the Amputee Coalition of America and other non-profit organizations, those who once struggled with purchasing foot wear can find pretty much any type of shoe they want and only buy one instead of a pair. This means that they no longer have to pay for two shoes and only use one, and they also get to save space by not having all those extra unused shoes lying around. People who suffer from foot amputation no longer have to struggle to find specialty shoes; you can find comfortable shoes through online shoe exchanges such as OddShoe.