Amputation Levels
AKA · BKA · TKA · DAKA · DBKA
Two things describe a leg amputation: where the limb was taken (above the knee, below it, or at the joint), and how many limbs are affected (one — "unilateral," or both — "bilateral"/"double"). These acronyms are the shorthand for both.
The Terms
AKA — Above-Knee Amputee · clinical: transfemoral
Amputation through the thigh (the femur), above the knee joint. The natural knee is gone, so the prosthesis must supply an artificial knee — which is why an above-knee leg is harder to walk on than a below-knee one.
BKA — Below-Knee Amputee · clinical: transtibial
Amputation through the lower leg, below the knee. The natural knee is preserved — generally the easier level to walk on, because the body keeps its own knee control.
TKA — Through-Knee Amputee · knee disarticulation
Amputation at the knee joint itself, keeping the full-length femur that ends at the knee — which gives a long, weight-bearing residual limb. (Note: in other medical contexts "TKA" means total knee arthroplasty — a knee replacement. Here it means through-knee amputation.)
DAKA — Double Above-Knee Amputee
Both legs amputated above the knee (bilateral transfemoral). Many DAKA walkers begin on "stubbies" — short training prostheses with no knees, which lower the center of gravity for stability while relearning balance, before progressing to full-length legs.
DBKA — Double Below-Knee Amputee
Both legs amputated below the knee (bilateral transtibial) — both natural knees preserved.
One Limb or Two — Why the Word Matters
Unilateral means one limb is affected; bilateral (or "double") means both. It's not a small distinction — a person with one amputated leg and one sound leg lives, walks, and is at risk very differently than a double amputee. Calling a unilateral amputee "bilateral" isn't a rounding error; it's a different person.
On AbilityForge
Michael Kissling is a unilateral left above-knee amputee (a left AKA) — one leg, the left, taken above the knee. Getting the level and the side right isn't pedantry: it's the line between an accurate record and a false one, and this site holds itself to the former.
Source
Terminology per standard clinical usage and the Amputee Coalition, the national limb-loss resource organization.