Coming from interior Sindh for an artificial leg
Outside Karachi and Hyderabad there are very few places in Sindh where a custom artificial leg is properly made. So families travel, often at real cost. This page helps you plan the journey once, and get the most from it.
Where can patients from interior Sindh get an artificial leg?
Most patients from interior Sindh travel to Karachi, where custom artificial legs are made and fitted by qualified prosthetists. At our Gulshan-e-Iqbal and DHA clinics, the assessment starts on WhatsApp, the visits are grouped into one stay of seven to fourteen days, and follow up continues by video once you are home.
Approximate road distances and times to Karachi
| From | Approximate distance | Approximate time by road | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thatta | 100 km | About 2 hours | Day visits are practical |
| Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Kotri | 165 km | 2 to 2.5 hours by motorway | Day visits are practical. No need to stay. |
| Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan | 210 km | About 4 hours | One or two night stays |
| Mirpurkhas, Umerkot | 230 to 300 km | 4 to 5.5 hours | A grouped stay is better |
| Nawabshah, Sanghar | 270 to 290 km | 4.5 to 5 hours | A grouped stay is better |
| Mithi, Tharparkar | 300 km and more | 6 hours and more | A grouped stay |
| Dadu, Sehwan | 300 to 330 km | 5 to 6 hours | A grouped stay |
| Larkana, Shikarpur | 450 to 480 km | 7 to 8 hours, or overnight train | A grouped stay |
| Sukkur, Khairpur, Rohri | 450 to 480 km | 7 to 8 hours, or overnight train | A grouped stay |
| Jacobabad, Kashmore, Ghotki | 520 km and more | 8 to 10 hours, or overnight train | A grouped stay |
Distances and times are approximate and vary with the route, traffic and season. Overnight trains to Karachi run from Rohri, Sukkur, Larkana and Nawabshah. Check current timings before you travel.
One long stay, or two short ones
Families within five or six hours of Karachi often prefer two short trips. Those further away usually prefer one stay. Both work.
- From home
WhatsApp assessment
Send photos, a video of the joint being straightened, and the discharge slip. We confirm readiness, the type of leg and a price range, and agree dates.
- Trip one, day 1
Examination and cast
Assessment in person, the written quotation, and the cast or scan. You may travel home that evening or the next morning.
- At home, 4 to 6 days
We build the test socket
Nothing is needed from you except keeping the shrinker on so the stump stays the size we cast.
- Trip two, days 1 to 2
Test socket and alignment
The clear socket is fitted and corrected, then the leg is assembled and tuned while you walk between the bars.
- Trip two, days 3 to 5
Delivery and daily training
The finished leg, with a training session each day, and teaching for the family member who will help at home.
- If you prefer one stay
Seven to ten days
All of the above without going home in between. Above knee legs need ten to fourteen days.
If you are in Hyderabad, Jamshoro or Kotri
The motorway has made Hyderabad a comfortable day trip. You do not need to stay in Karachi at all. Leave after Fajr, reach the clinic by mid morning, and be home by evening.
A below knee leg usually needs four or five such visits over two to three weeks, plus training sessions that can be spaced to suit you. We book you late morning slots so you are not driving in the dark.
The Gulshan-e-Iqbal clinic on Main University Road is the more convenient of our two clinics when you enter Karachi from the motorway side.
Making a long road journey bearable
- Book the front seats of the coach, or seats with the most leg room, and tell the company you are travelling with a patient.
- Keep the stump bandaged or in its shrinker for the whole journey. Hours of sitting make it swell.
- Support a below knee stump straight on a bag or the seat in front where possible. Do not let it hang bent for eight hours.
- Carry crutches, even if a wheelchair is used. Coach steps and roadside toilets need them.
- For diabetic patients, carry medicines, a glucose meter and food in the hand luggage, not the hold.
- Arrive the evening before your first appointment if the journey is over five hours. A tired, swollen stump gives a poor cast.
- Bring two family members if the patient is elderly: one to help, and one who can stay for the training and learn.
Staying in Karachi
Most families from interior Sindh stay with relatives, and nearly everyone has someone in Karachi. If you do, tell us the area and we will book the nearer clinic.
If you need paid lodging, the areas around Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and the university have many modest guest houses and furnished rooms used by students and visiting families. Ask for a ground floor room, or a building with a lift, and check that the bathroom has a commode.
We do not run or sell accommodation and take no commission from anyone. We can simply tell you which areas are close and sensible.
Patients arriving by coach from the motorway side reach the northern terminals of the city, which are a short drive from the Gulshan clinic. Those arriving by train reach the central stations, from where either clinic is a taxi ride.
Follow up from a distance
The leg goes home with you, and our responsibility goes with it. Distance changes how follow up is done, not whether it is done.
- Send a video of the patient walking, from the front and from the side, two weeks after returning home, then monthly for the first six months.
- Send a photo of any skin mark that lasts, the same day.
- Spare socks and liners can be sent to you by courier.
- If you have a physiotherapist in your town, we are glad to share the training programme with them.
- When the socket has become loose beyond socks, usually six to eighteen months on, plan a second stay of about a week for a replacement socket.
Is there no closer place than Karachi?
Hyderabad has some services, and there are occasional camps elsewhere. For a custom leg with a test socket, proper alignment and training, most people from interior Sindh still come to Karachi. It is worth asking locally first, and comparing using the questions on our home page.
How many days should we plan for?
Seven to ten days for a below knee leg, ten to fourteen for above knee, if you tell us in advance so workshop time is reserved. From Hyderabad and Thatta, day visits replace the stay.
What does it cost, including the trip?
The leg is quoted in writing after assessment. See the price pages for indicative ranges. Add coach or train fares for two or three people, local transport, food, and lodging if you are not with relatives.
Can the patient travel alone?
A young, fit below knee patient can. Anyone elderly, diabetic or with an above knee amputation should have a companion, who will also need to learn the home care.
What if the leg breaks back home?
Call or send a video. For many faults we can tell you whether it is safe to walk on. Some repairs can be handled by sending the leg to us by courier while you use crutches or a spare.
Planning a trip from interior Sindh?
Send the amputation level, the date of surgery and photos on WhatsApp. We will confirm the right week to come and reserve workshop time for you.
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