Boston Marathon Amputations

It is a tragedy that has happened in our state this week. An event meant to celebrate the accomplishments and hard work of many quickly became a tragedy this past Monday at the Boston Marathon. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev are the prime suspects in this case and the hunt for them finally ended on Friday. As our state and cities begin to recover from this tragedy, it is important that we remember and acknowledge the extreme life changes that happened to the men and women that lost their lives and were injured during the tragedy. Many of these injuries were to the foot and leg and will leave a lasting impact on them for the rest of their lives.

Amputation is a difficult event for people to handle whether the cause is an injury, an infection or an accident. Our technology has drastically improved over the past several years though, because the development of better physical therapy and prosthesis has helped these people to live a better lifestyle. The learning curve is steep though and there is both a physical and emotional component to any kind of amputation. One of the most important thing for the amputee patient to do is reach out to someone for advice and empathy. This may come in the form of a religious leader, family member or therapist.

The people that suffered from this tragedy deserve our full support. Their lives will be forever changed and will be very different for them. Both their families and the individuals themselves need to be kept in our thoughts and uplifted to get through this tragedy.

So, if you or someone you know has either had an amputation or is about to have one,  you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the Boston or Burlington, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your injury or infection and point you in the proper direction for counseling and support. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.