Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month

Did you know April is Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month? At Blesma, we’re proud to be teaming up  alongside other limb loss and limb difference charities including Reach, Finding Your Feet, Positive Bones, LimbPower, Steel Bones and Amputation Foundation. 

Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month was created to help raise awareness about the physical and mental impact of limb loss and limb difference, alongside sharing the achievements of the limb loss and limb difference community. 

At Blesma, Limbless Veterans, we are a national Armed Forces Charity that supports limbless veterans to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Losing a limb can be life-changing, both physically and mentally. We are here to support limbless veterans and their families for the duration of their lives.

What is the difference between limb loss and limb difference?

Limb loss or amputation refers to the removal of a limb or a portion of a limb due to a medical necessity. This usually occurs as a result of a traumatic injury, or through surgical amputation to treat underlying health issues such as a severe infection, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), complications from diabetes or vascular disease. For an individual with limb loss, there is a lived memory of having that limb, and the transition often involves a significant period of physical and psychological adjustment to a new way of moving and interacting with the world.

Limb difference is typically a congenital condition, meaning it is present from birth. Limb difference occurs when a limb does not form fully or forms differently while a baby is developing in the womb. Because the individual was born with the difference, they often develop unique and natural ways of navigating the environment from day one.

Key facts and stats about limb loss and limb difference

• Due to the increased physical strain on the body after an above-knee amputation, it’s been reported that above-knee amputees may use up to 60 - 100%¹ more energy when walking.
• It’s estimated that more than 12,000² major amputations are carried out by NHS England every year.
• It’s estimated around one in 1,900¹ babies are born every year in the UK with a limb difference.
• There are currently approximately 60,000 - 70,000² people living with limb loss in the UK.

¹Blesma: Limb Loss and Limb Difference Community to Gather in Parliament for First Time in Over a Decade

²12 Key Facts About Amputation in the UK

Advice and information about limb loss

Our mission at Blesma is to assist limbless veterans lead independent and fulfilling lives. 

We offer essential guidance on prosthetics, mobility aids, and navigating complex financial systems like the War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, supplemented by grants to alleviate disability-related hardships. 

Additionally, we foster well-being for our Members through dedicated Support and Outreach Officers who provide emotional care, alongside a diverse year-round program of rehabilitative activities ranging from sporting activities to social gatherings. 

On our website, we also include a hub of information that all individuals affected by limb loss may find useful:

• Living with phantom limb pain and treatments
• Amputation explained
• Stump care

The Limb Loss and Limb Difference Alliance are a collaboration of UK organisations supporting individuals and their families with limb loss or a limb difference.

• Amputation Foundation – The Amputation Foundation not only assists amputees, but also medical professionals in their work to give new amputees the best start following amputation.
• Finding Your Feet – Finding Your Feet is there for families affected by limb loss or absence with over 60 activities per month and vital mental health services.
• LimbPower – LimbPower helps amputees and people with limb impairments to reach their physical potential.
• The Limbless Association – The Limbless Association supports amputees and works with sector professionals, aiming to empower all those living with limb loss to lead independent and fulfilled lives.
• Positive Bones – Positive Bones supports those who have a limb disability as a result of injury, loss or congenital limb difference by providing them with access to specialist equipment, prosthesis or services which will enable them to take part in new or existing hobbies and careers post-recovery.
• REACH – REACH is a leading charity providing support and information to parents and their children affected by upper limb difference.
• Steel Bones – Steel Bones helps amputee families live life to the full, helped by a proactive supportive peer community.

How to join in

Limb Loss & Limb Difference UK have put together a social media pack full of assets which you can use as templates. If you’re posting about Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month in April, make sure to use the hashtags #LLLDAM and #limblosslimbdifference.