Choosing a prosthesis · 9 min read

Choosing a prosthesis. What to work out about yourself and whom to ask what

Artur Wąsowicz · October 8, 2026

Choosing a prosthesis does not happen in one day or in one room. This guide gathers what is worth working out about yourself before the appointment, and the questions to ask the doctor, prosthetist and physiotherapist.

We usually start asking “which prosthesis should I choose?” when the quote is already on the table. By then part of the decision has been made, in the office of the doctor who wrote the prescription. Often without anyone noticing that it was a decision at all.

This text does not compare knees, feet or hands. I describe prosthesis types and their parts separately, in the articles on lower limb prostheses and upper limb prostheses. Here the subject is the road to the choice itself: what to work out about yourself, whom to ask what, and how to tell that the conversation is going in the right direction.

The choice starts at the doctor's

A prescription for a prosthesis is issued by a doctor with a specific specialty or by a specialist physiotherapist. It states the type of device and the mobility level. That digit decides which prosthesis the prescription can be issued for and which NFZ limit is attached to it. The prosthetic clinic then works within those bounds.

So the conversation about the prosthesis starts with the prescription, not at the clinic. The Polish Act on Patient Rights gives you the right to clear information about the proposed treatment and what can be expected from it. You can therefore ask which mobility level will be entered and why that one.

The regulation describes the four levels by how the prosthesis user moves, from walking on crutches or with a walking frame on a flat surface indoors to walking without limits outdoors, with high activity and heavy loads. It does not, however, say how the level is to be established. The person issuing the prescription enters it, so it helps if they know what your days look like. If they do not, describe them during the appointment. I cover the document itself in the article on the medical device prescription, and the amounts attached to each level in the article on NFZ reimbursement.

Before anyone names components, describe your daily life

No single prosthesis is the best one for everyone, and organisations of people with limb loss make that point in their guides. A good prosthesis fits a particular life, and a prosthetist can only fit it when they know that life. It works much like a car showroom. A sensible salesperson first asks how many people you drive around and whether you mostly drive in town, and only then shows you the models. A prosthesis is no different.

Before the first appointment, it is worth thinking about what an ordinary day looks like for you and describing it to the prosthetist as precisely as you can. What counts is how many stairs you climb at home, how far it is to the bus stop, what ground you walk on and what you do at work. The prosthetist should also know what you want to get back to outside work, even if today it seems a long way off.

Priorities are a separate matter, because every prosthesis is some kind of compromise. For one person appearance will matter most, for another low weight or simple handling without charging batteries, and each of these answers is fine as long as the prosthetist hears it. Tell them also what you are afraid of, whether someone will help you put the prosthesis on, and what health conditions you have besides the amputation and which medicines you take, because all of this affects the skin, the residual limb and muscle strength.

The conversation then starts with you, not with the catalogue.

Socket first, everything else second

When choosing, it is easy to focus on the knee, the foot or the hand, because those parts differ most in price and appearance, yet whether the prosthesis can be worn at all is decided by the socket. Publications on prosthetic sockets call it the most important part of a prosthesis. Expensive components on a badly fitted socket lose their point.

A good socket has a few features you can check yourself. It causes no rubbing or sores, and when you walk it gives at most discomfort, never pain. It also lets you control the prosthesis without the residual limb slipping out of it. A test socket, often made of clear plastic, is used to check these things. You can see how the residual limb sits inside it, and the shape can be corrected before the definitive socket is made.

The first days with a new socket can be uncomfortable. That is normal. Pain, on the other hand, is not a normal part of fitting and you do not have to sit it out. Report it straight away and describe exactly where it appears and with which movement.

Questions for the doctor, prosthetist and physiotherapist

Several people work on a prosthesis at once and each is responsible for something different, so it makes sense to split the questions. Questions about the clinic itself, meaning its experience, waiting times and repairs, are collected on the page about choosing a prosthetic practice. Below are questions about the prosthesis.

Doctor

• Which mobility level will be entered on the prescription, and on what basis?
• Is a temporary prosthesis planned to start with?
• Is my residual limb ready for a prosthesis, or do we need to wait for something?
• Can the mobility level be assessed again, and when, if I move better after rehabilitation?

Prosthetist

• What are my options at my amputation level, and what are the pros and cons of each?
• Why are you proposing these particular components? What would change with a simpler solution, what with a more advanced one, and how would my co-payment change?
• How much will the prosthesis weigh, and how do I put it on?
• How do I look after the socket, the liner and the components day to day, and how often do they need checking?
• Does any part need charging, and how long does the battery last?
• What warranty is there on the socket, and what on the individual components?
• What will I walk on while the prosthesis is being repaired?
• Can I talk to someone with a similar amputation level who uses this kind of solution?

Physiotherapist

• Who will teach me to use this particular prosthesis, and how long does that usually take?
• What can I practise now, before the prosthesis is ready, to improve balance and strength and to prevent contractures?
• Given what I can do today, is the proposed equipment safe for me?

Take someone close to you to the appointments. A second person will note down the answers and will also notice whether anyone has time for you.

The upper limb has questions of its own

Upper limb amputations are less common than lower limb amputations, so there are fewer clinics with a lot of experience in this area. The team's experience counts for a great deal here, because an arm prosthesis needs not only fitting but also learning to control it and choosing terminal devices for everyday tasks, from getting dressed to work. It is worth adding a few more questions to the ones above.

• How many prostheses at my amputation level have you made in the past year?
• Which control types are possible for me, and what does each give in practice?
• Do you carry out repairs on site, or does the prosthesis go to the manufacturer?
• Do you work with a therapist who will teach me to control the prosthesis?
• Which terminal devices will help me at work and at home?

The quote and the co-payment

The quote is where the choice becomes concrete, so ask for it in writing. Clinics usually list the components by name and give one price for the whole prosthesis, without amounts next to individual parts. You have to reckon with that. The quote should, however, show three amounts: the price of the whole, the part covered by the NFZ and your co-payment. The NFZ limit is not the price of the prosthesis, but the amount the Fund contributes. You cover the difference yourself or look for funding, and the application to the PCPR or MOPR is made before the purchase, not after it.

It is different when you apply for funding from the PFRON “Aktywny samorząd” programme. The clinic then fills in the PFRON form, a proposed specification and cost estimate for the prosthesis, in which each component has its own row with the manufacturer, trade name, warranty period and gross price. The programme requires two such offers from two independent suppliers, so you also get two comparable breakdowns. I describe the details in the article on PFRON funding.

Without such an application, a clinic may itemise the prices but does not have to, so it is simply worth asking. When the price of a single part is not visible, you compare differently. The same components can cost different amounts depending on the clinic, so it is worth getting quotes from several places. With the component names from the first quote, you can ask another clinic for a prosthesis with the same set and compare the totals. You can also ask for a second variant, for example with a simpler knee or a different foot, and see how much the co-payment changes. The difference between the variants shows in practice what a given component costs, even if nobody writes it in a separate line.

If the co-payment is high, also ask about a variant that fits within the limit and compare what you really lose. Sometimes the difference in everyday life is large, and sometimes it is a matter of comfort that can be added with the next prosthesis, when you know what you really need. The limit amounts are in the article on NFZ reimbursement.

The first prosthesis is not the last

A temporary prosthesis is used at the start of rehabilitation, while the residual limb is still changing shape and volume. The definitive one is made once the residual limb has settled. The word “definitive” does not mean “for ever”, though. The regulations set periods of use for prostheses, and the socket and liner are replaced more often than the whole prosthesis.

With the next prosthesis you already know what you need, what you dislike about the current one and what to ask. It is worth writing this down as you go, and the prosthesis diary in our templates and checklists helps with that.

When it is worth stopping

Some conversations are worth pausing after to ask more. That is the case when nobody asked how you live and what you want to do, or when the only answer to why a component was chosen is a brand name or a price. Equipment chosen to fit the limit rather than you is as much a signal as the most expensive variant offered without explaining what it will give you. Caution is also in order when the answer to pain in the socket is advice to get used to it, and when you are given documents to sign before you understand what you are signing.

None of these signals rules out a clinic or a doctor straight away. Each is, however, a reason to ask more and, if in doubt, to talk to someone else as well.

Finally

A prosthesis has to fit a particular life. The better the doctor, prosthetist and physiotherapist know it, the less is left to chance. You make the decision together, but you are the one who will live with this prosthesis every day, so your view carries real weight in that conversation.

Frequently asked questions

Who decides which prosthesis I get?

Several people at once. A doctor or specialist physiotherapist issues the prescription and enters the mobility level, and the prosthetist at the clinic designs and fits the prosthesis within those bounds. You explain how you live and what you need, and you have the right to information about the proposed solutions.

Can I change clinics after getting a quote?

Yes, as long as the clinic has not started fulfilling the prescription. The doctor who issued it then cancels the document and issues a new one. Once the clinic has ordered components, it is too late to change.

Is a more expensive prosthesis better?

Not always. The better one is the one that suits your residual limb, mobility level and daily life. An advanced component on a badly fitted socket will not give you what you expect from it.

Artur Wąsowicz

Founder of the Świat Bioniki Foundation, prosthesis user since 2020