How it works
A prosthesis is an artificial limb. These drawings name the parts of a prosthetic leg: a below-knee leg taken apart, then an above-knee leg with its knee joint. Names only; fitting a prosthesis is the work of a prosthetist.
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The parts of a prosthetic leg, in order
Down the left the parts are in the order they go together. The liner goes over the residual limb, and the locking pin on its end clicks into the base of the socket. The socket sits on the pylon, and the foot is fixed to the other end of the pylon. Beside them are a sock, a suspension sleeve and a cosmesis. The second view puts two legs together; the above-knee leg has a knee joint.
- Parts of a prosthetic is a shorter way of asking the same thing; the noun is prosthesis, and the plural is prostheses.
- A below-knee leg is also called transtibial, and an above-knee leg transfemoral.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a prosthetic leg called?
The socket, which the residual limb fits into; the pylon, a tube under the socket; and the foot. Under the socket a liner, a sock or both are worn. An above-knee leg also has a knee joint.
What is the socket of a prosthesis?
The rigid cup that the residual limb fits into. It is the part that joins the limb to the rest of the prosthesis, and it is made to fit one person.
What holds a prosthetic leg on?
This is called suspension. One way is a locking pin on the end of the liner that clicks into the socket. Another is a suspension sleeve over the socket and the thigh. Suction and vacuum are others.
What is the pylon on a prosthetic leg?
The tube from socket to foot. The socket is mounted on it. If the height of the leg needs to change, the pylon can be changed.