In this Section:

About Amputations
• Before Birth
  • Amniotic Band Syndrome
• After Birth
  • Diabetes
  • Trauma
  • Tumor
  • Vascular Incidents
  • Iraqi War

Other Sections

• Introduction
• About Amputations
• Dealing With Amputations
• Discrimination
• Famous Amputees
• Personal Accounts
• Interactive

About Amputations

According to Dictionary.com, an amputation is:

1. a condition of disability resulting from the loss of one or more limbs

2. a surgical removal of all or part of a limb

Amputations can be caused by many different stimuli. Some amputations occur before birth, while others occur after birth. Some before birth amputations occur due to Amniotic Band Syndrome, a vascular problem, or from other diseases. After birth amputations are most often caused by trauma, such as automobile or other accidents or by war-caused injuries. Some diseases responsible for amputations include diabetes, cancer, and vascular incidents. Not all amputations are exactly the same, nor do they all occur in the same locations and affect the same limbs.

An amputation is a serious condition, and it can happen to anyone - in any form.