A shrunken limb?

[Stryker65]

Found this surprising quote in the correspondence of Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Sherman, who had his right leg amputated above the knee following wounds at Port Hudson:

(OR V34P3, pp 437)

Was this common for amputees, that their limbs would shrink? It was rather horrifying to me at first read.

 

[milhistbuff1]

Found this surprising quote in the correspondence of Brig. Gen. Thomas W. Sherman, who had his right leg amputated above the knee following wounds at Port Hudson:
View attachment 580723
(OR V34P3, pp 437)

Was this common for amputees, that their limbs would shrink? It was rather horrifying to me at first read.

From what i'm finding, it's possible due to residual shortening of remaining bone. Pertinent Nat'l Library of Medicine case report
Will leave it to others more familiar with amputation to opine on how common.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Re Thomas Sherman's wound on the right leg by a musket ball at Port Hudson on May 27, '63.

Seems there were aggravating factors involved in Sherman's actual wound.

Below is a description of the injury:-
..."The wound was extensive and the tissue greatly lacerated. ...(In the weeks afterwards) the examining surgeon found the wound had been very tightly sewn up with one continuous suture. When the suture was cut, there was a large discharge of decomposing coagula, pus, and bone splinters. His constitutional symptoms had assumed a most aggravated character. .....
....Fragments of bone were discharged day by day. It was decided that surgery was his only hope for recovery, and an amputation at the middle third of the thigh was performed.......his improvement was slow..........In May 1864......his stump had shrunk and impaired the fit of his artificial leg."...
(Source- 'Medical Histories of Union Generals' by Jack Welsh, @ pp. 299-300)

From this description, suggest his stump had shrunk to such an extent, largely due to his unusually high loss of bone mass caused by the continuous discharge of bone fragments/splinters reported, following the wounding.

 

[Bur Oak]

Did it shrink in length, or just circumference? The latter seems more plausible.

 

[Old Soldier]

If you do not, cannot, use a muscle, it shrinks. This is normal. The fit of an articifial leg will vary as the wound heals. Most modern amputees get through more than one over the first five years. The artificial limb cannot be used until the wound heals, but there can be shrinkage of muscle after this. The thigh muscles work the lower leg below the knee. No lower leg = no work.

Further research tells us that walking accelerates loss of fluid retension = more shrinkage.

 

[Library Lady]

The big problem is that it is natural to have edema (swelling) after amputation surgery. Your lymphatic drainage system has just been messed with in a big way. If infection is present, then it adds to the edema. Today we treat edema with compression socks (these are not like the socks you wear on your feet on a regular basis) or compression bandaging. Elevation of the stump to prevent dependent edema is also helpful. The amount of edema present can vary over time, particularly in the first 12-18 months following amputation. The compression sock or bandaging molds the residual stump to fit a prosthesis. The number of compression socks worn at one time can vary as the edema does, but if a patient requires 3 (or more) socks or a regular basis, then the prosthesis needs to be modified or replaced.

I hope this is helpful. It's been a long time since I transcribed for a wound care center, and this is what I remember. The center saw a good number of patients with amputations as a result of diabetes rather than trauma.