Prosthetic Technology

Devices, materials and other options to maximize your rehabilitation potential

Prosthetic technology has come so far in the past ten years and we expect the next ten years to see incredible advancements as well. Use the dropdown menu to see what is currently available for people with a limb difference.

Passive Devices

 

Passive Devices

Solutions for both form and function.

Custom Silicone Restorations

These custom prostheses are made from a clear silicone glove that is painted by an artist to perfectly match your existing skin tone, body hair, freckles, and other natural features. Tattoos and other unique artwork can also be included for even greater individual expression. Our prosthetic artists have many years of experience in this unique and meticulous type of painting.

Man holding up hand showing no prosthesis
Without Prosthesis
With PH cosmetic restoration
With Custom Silicone Restoration Prosthesis

Passive Positional Digits

With passive positional digits, the wearer can use their sound hand or a nearby surface to position the shoulder, elbow, wrist or fingers of the prosthesis to make it easier for them to hold or carry something. This prosthetic technology can restore the ability to grasp small objects like cups, cans, pan handles, or even the hand of a loved one.

Point Digit

Created by Point Designs for partial hand and finger amputees, the ratcheting Point Digit is a robust, articulating prosthetic finger with a high-tech metallic appearance. They are typically mounted onto a carbon fiber shell with a soft silicone inner socket. The user positions Point Digits by pushing the fingertips against a firm surface into the degree of flexion needed for a specific object or task.

ratcheting

Naked Prosthetics GripLock Finger™

The GripLock Finger™ is Naked Prosthetics’ elegant solution for amputations proximal to the MCP joint. Serviceable nylon fairings and silicone pads provide seamless aesthetics and improved grip stability while also preventing scratch damage to sensitive surfaces and objects handled by the user. The GripLock Finger™ structure is a combination of machined aluminum and heat treated and case-hardened stainless steel.

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Body-Powered Devices

Durable and functional solutions for working in rugged or wet environments.

Gerry Kinney Welding
Impressive work
Nothing else matters
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Impressive work
Nothing else matters

Body-powered prostheses are useful tools that can restore the ability to pick up and grasp objects and assist the user’s sound hand. Body-powered partial hand devices can help restore function when the finger loss is as the PIP or MCP level. For people with higher amputation levels, movements of the upper arm, shoulder and chest are captured by the harness and cable system, and used to open and close the hook or hand, similar to how a bicycle handbrake system works.

 

Movements of the upper arm, shoulder and chest are captured by the harness and cable system, and used to open and close the hook or hand, similar to how a bicycle handbrake system works. As users grow accustomed to the feeling of varying tension on the cable, they may experience an improved sense of the position of the limb and the degree of opening on the terminal device. Hooks can be made of aluminum, steel, or titanium and can be rubber lined for better gripping. The grip force of a voluntary opening hook is determined by the number of rubber bands holding the hook closed.

 

The components of a body-powered prosthesis include:

  • A custom fit socket
  • A terminal device such as a hook or hand
  • A wrist unit
  • A harness and cable system
  • Above elbow prostheses will include an elbow unit
  • Shoulder disarticulation prostheses will include an elbow and a shoulder

Many amputees like the durability and basic function of body-powered prostheses and find them particularly useful for working outdoors or in rugged or wet environments. A custom silicone interface can improve user comfort and is available in a wide range of colors.


Electrically-Powered

Electrically-powered devices that are controlled using muscle impulses from the residual limb.

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Myoelectric site testing for prosthesis control
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Analyzing electrode signals for muscle contractions

Myoelectric upper limb technologies use electrical signals generated by muscles in the residual limb to control the movements of a prosthesis. When the user contracts certain muscles, surface electrodes in the socket detect the muscle signals and send them to a controller, which triggers tiny, battery-powered motors to move the fingers, hand, wrist or elbow.

The advantages of myoelectric prostheses include more intuitive control of the prosthesis, increased grip strength, access to multiple grip patterns and more natural hand movements.

Myoelectric technologies are available for all levels of upper limb loss. 

Myoelectric Fingers

Electric finger solutions for those with finger amputations consist of individually-powered prosthetic fingers that can bend, touch, pick up and point. Electric finger solutions are custom built to replace any missing fingers and work in harmony with any remaining fingers.

Myoelectric Hands

Multi-articulating myoelectric hands are available from a variety of manufacturers in multiple sizes and configurations. Some of the most popular devices are:

  • Taska
  • bebionic
  • i-limb
  • Michelangelo Hand

Myoelectric Arms and Elbows

Dynamic Arm Elbow

The DynamicArm Elbow prosthesis incorporates a powerful electric motor in combination with the Vario Drive clutch to help with flexion and extension of the elbow and can hold up to 11 pounds. It pairs with the SensorHand Speed prosthetic hand and features an Automatic Forearm Balance system that spares energy and makes the prothesis look and feel more natural.

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Utah Arm

The sturdy Utah 3 provides simultaneous electronic control of the hand and elbow, effortless extension of the elbow, a free-swing mode, optional wrist rotation, and is available in jet black, tan and brown.

The Utah Arm 3+ offers the same features as the Utah 3 with the addition of the "Dual Lock System," silent free-swing and Bluetooth wireless communication.

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Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (TMR)

A leading edge medical procedure that enables more precise control of myoelectric devices

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Targeted muscle reinnveration, usually referred to as "TMR" is a complicated surgical procedure for high level arm amputees that takes nerves previously dedicated to hand, wrist or elbow motion, and rewires them into adjacent muscles, dramatically amplifying the nerve signals with the goal of providing users with "thought control" of their myoelectric prosthesis.
Current myoelectric prostheses for above-elbow and shoulder disarticulation levels provide up to three degrees of freedom:
  1. Flexing and extending the elbow
  2. Turning the wrist in or out
  3. Opening and closing the hand or electronic terminal device
These motions are typically controlled one at a time by electrical signals from one or two muscle sites (known as "EMG sites") in the residual limb or upper shoulder area.
TMR surgery creates additional EMG sites that are controlled with distinct and intuitive muscle contractions, some of which can occur simultaneously and with less mental effort. When combined with occupational therapy, the result is a high level of intuitive control, which can significantly enhance the functional use of the prosthesis.
This enhanced functionality is even more important now that prosthetic researchers and manufacturers are investing tremendous effort into creating additional degrees of freedom in prosthetic systems, which will require additional EMG sites to fully realize their increasing complexity and capability.
    

LUKE Arm

The only commercially-available prosthesis with powered shoulder, allowing shoulder-level amputee to reach over their head.

The LUKE arm, by Mobius Bionics, is the most advanced prosthesis on the market and the only commercially-available prosthesis with a powered shoulder (up to 10 powered joints), allowing shoulder-level amputees to reach over their head.

Our Arm Dynamics clinicians conducted one of the first ever civilian test-fittings of the LUKE arm. Our patient, Steve Brown, was amazed by the LUKE arm’s intuitive motion-control interface and its unique ability to reach out and grasp things above the shoulder. According to Steve, the Luke Arm, “…will be life changing for the future of those with upper limb loss.”

The Luke Arm has an intuitive wireless foot control system called an “IMU” that’s placed on the user’s shoes and reads the tilt of the foot to interpret each movement and control the functions of the arm. The wrist fluidly combines the flexion and extension with ulnar and radial deviation which allows users to grasp objects above the head or below the waist while keeping the hand level. Grip options for the hand include power grip, tool grip, fine pinch closed, fine pinch open, lateral pinch and chuck grip.