Focused Care That Moves You Forward

Wallace E. Gladden, Jr., MD is New Mexico’s pre-eminent physiatrist providing amputee care in New Mexico. He partners with certified prosthetists and orthotists from various prosthetic clinics, as well as physical therapists from Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital. The aims of this clinic are reducing the time it takes for patients to receive their prostheses after amputation, and expediting prosthetic adjustments that may be warranted. Amputees receive focused, patient-centered care from Dr. Gladden, a prosthetist/orthotist, and a physical therapist, and patients receive high levels of care as they are able to see all three specialists in one visit.

Until recently, patients in need of a prosthesis would be under the direction of either their primary care provider or surgeon. Because amputee care management is not the primary focus of these providers, amputees did not receive the attention necessary to receive optimal care.

Dr. Gladden’s multi-disciplinary amputee clinic fulfills the need for a doctor who is knowledgeable in post-operative amputee management. This allows the patient to receive their prosthesis faster, and any prosthetic complications that may arise can be managed expeditiously.

Each patient will experience a three-step process in the clinic:

1. The patient will be seen first by a certified prosthetist, who will take the initial molding to begin construction of the prosthesis.
2. Dr. Gladden will then see the patient for amputee limb care. This visit includes the issuance of prosthetic prescriptions, wound/skin care, and management of phantom limb pain. The patient will also receive a medical evaluation for exercise tolerance, and have access to follow up care for the life of the amputee.
3. The physical therapist will evaluate the patient for functional assessment and prosthetic training.