Most of what decides the fit happens before we ever see you.

The first days

Wound care and pain control, and they belong to your surgical team. Nothing about a limb happens yet. What does start now is position — keeping the joint above the amputation straight, because a knee or hip that stiffens bent is very hard to fit later and very hard to undo.

Weeks 1–6

The swelling starts to go. Bandaging or a shrinker sock shapes the stump — done properly it produces a firm, tapered limb that a socket can grip; done loosely or not at all it produces a bulbous one that will not fit anything well. This is the single period with the largest effect on the eventual result.

Weeks 6–12

Usually when fitting becomes possible, once the wound is fully healed and the swelling has settled. Your surgeon decides, not us. A temporary limb is sometimes fitted earlier so that walking can begin while the stump is still changing.

The first year

The stump keeps shrinking. Sockets are adjusted, then replaced — often more than once. This is expected and is not a sign that anything was made badly.

After that

Reviews when things change: weight, work, a new pain, a socket that has loosened. A well-made socket lasts years; a body does not stay the same for years.