Application of a Behavioral Change Approach to a Pediatric Patient Undergoing Transfemoral Amputation

There are no reports on physiotherapy to promote behavioral changes in the immediate postoperative period for lower limb amputees.

A 7-year-old girl patient underwent transfemoral amputation as a treatment for osteosarcoma located at the proximal fibula.

As a result of continuous physiotherapy for the patient from prior to surgery, she was able to obtain a prosthetic gait without support before the end of chemotherapy. The intervention was performed according to the mental state and behavioral change status of this patient, who was reluctant to undergo physiotherapy while undergoing chemotherapy.

In this patient, increasing self-efficacy and improving motivation for prosthetic gait can be attributed to many interventions, such as continuous physiotherapy from before surgery, self-monitoring after surgery, behavioral goal-setting methods appropriate for self-assessment, interaction with other lower limb amputee patients, accumulation of positive experiences, and discussion of collaborative problem-solving methods. The combination of a behavioral change approach in physiotherapy for a pediatric patient undergoing transfemoral amputation was useful.