Objective: Compare the reducing volumes of the residual limbs between the removable rigid dressing method
and the elastic bandaging technique.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

Material and Method: Twenty-six below-the-knee amputees (11 men (42.3%) and 15 women (57.69%)) who
were informed and gave written consents were included in this study. The mean age was 68.19 + 10.83 years.
The patients who met the eligible criteria were randomized into two groups. Fourteen subjects (53.8%) were
in the EB group and 12 (46.2%) in the RRD group. The first group was taught to use a removable rigid
dressing (RRD) while the second group was taught to use an elastic bandage (EB) for stump shaping and
volume reduction. Both groups were trained with the same pre-prosthetic program. The circumference of the
stump was measured and calculated for volume at the beginning, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. The volume reduction
was compared between the two groups.

Results: Twenty subjects were amputated on the right side (76.92%). The majority underlying was diabetes
mellitus (80.77%). Fifteen cases of amputation were peripheral vascular disease (57.69%). The stump volume
reduction of the RRD group at 2 and 4 weeks were 42.73 + 62.70 and 79.9 + 103.33 cm3, respectively. The
stump volume reduction of the EB group were 21.89 + 118.49 and 83.03 + 113.05 cm3, respectively. There were
no statistically significant differences of volume reduction between the two groups at 4 weeks.

Conclusion: Removable rigid dressing had a tendency to reduce residual limb volume of below knee amputees
faster than elastic bandage at 2 weeks but the decreasing volumes were not different at 4 weeks.

Keywords: Removable rigid dressing, Below knee amputee, Residual limb volume