Aug 27, 2024

This isn’t your father’s prosthesis.

Maybe you have a congenital limb difference. Maybe you wore a prosthesis as a child and found it bulky, the weight and trouble not worth the minimal function it gave you. Maybe you were able to get by without a prosthesis.

Perhaps you had an amputation of some kind years ago. Perhaps it was a partial hand amputation, maybe higher. Perhaps the prosthetic care you received was less than stellar. Perhaps the prosthesis you were given wasn’t helping you meet your goals.

Regardless of why you’re looking at newer prosthetic options, we can tell you that prosthetic devices and prosthetic care HAVE improved. I started working for this company around five years ago and I can tell you that things have improved in the world of upper limb prostheses. There are so many more options out there for people with partial hand differences and higher-level limb differences. Let’s start with the socket:

Sockets:

Hard plastic directly on your skin. Uff. Anyone who’s ever been to a graduation or wedding and had to sit on those plastic fold out chairs for more than a few minutes can attest to the benefit of a little give and cushion. While we use thermoplastic sockets for our initial diagnostic sockets and for people who are allergic to other materials, we’ve found that custom silicone sockets are a game changer. By combining softer silicone with more supportive, firmer silicone, we create a custom fit that feels more natural, like it’s part of you. A lot of comfort can be gained when the material that touches your skin allows for a bit of expansion while still being very supportive. It also provides better control for people who use myoelectric devices. You can read more about silicone, including its healing properties, in our article Custom Silicone Sockets: The Ultimate in Comfort and Control for Prosthetic Arms.

Partial hand:

For a long time, there just weren’t a lot of options for someone with a partial hand difference. From a missing fingertip to the absence of several fingers, there was not a lot available outside of passive silicone restorations, which provide a lifelike appearance to fingers and hands. Within the past ten years, though, Naked Prosthetics and Point Designs have created both body-powered and passive options, allowing many people to perform more activities, perform them easier, and save themselves from overuse injuries in their sound or affected hand. Want to see? Check out our article Finger and Partial Hand Devices in Action.

User adjustable fit:

Making it easier for wearers to adjust how tightly the socket fits can make huge improvements in long term comfort. For activities like weightlifting, the fit and stability of the socket is really being tested and the socket needs to be as tight as possible … but between sets, it’s more comfortable to reduce that compression. This is much like tightening the weight belt before lifting that big ol’ dumbell! We have helped make that possible for a number of patients. How is that achieved? One way is to incorporate a BOA dial system, which makes it easier for the wearer to don the prosthesis and then tighten the socket to their liking. Watch Max use his here:

The Boa system isn’t just used on prosthetic arms — it can allow for a better fit for partial hand devices too:

Multi-articulating myoelectric hands:

We know what you’re thinking — they’re so cool! And they’re getting cooler all the time. The TASKA CX is one of the latest hands on the market, an upgrade from the TASKA. The CX is smaller, faster and comes with more perks. “The lock button makes my everyday tasks much easier than my previous multi-articulating hand,” our patient Kiersten told us during an interview in April of 2024. “If I pick up a glass or a plate and I don’t want to accidentally activate the sensors and drop the plate, I used to have to turn my hand off. Then I’d have to turn it back on, give it a bit to reboot. The TASKA CX has this lock button that I just hit with my other hand, and it will stay in that position until I unlock it. So easy.” Read more of her interview in our article Introduction to the TASKA and the TASKA CX.

Kiersten, by the way, was born with her limb difference, and had gone her whole life without a device. When she began to experience overuse issues on both sides of her body, she began looking into newer prosthetic hands. She spoke with her physician and understood that a body-powered device would possibly further exacerbate those overuse issues, so a myoelectric device was the way to go. Was it easy to get her insurance company to approve a myoelectric prosthesis, especially since she hadn’t worn one before? No. Is she wearing one today? Yes:

Our newer patients often express surprise at how much prosthetic devices have advanced over the last thirty years. We’re here to tell you that taking advantage of those advancements can lead to a better quality of life, an easier time with activities of daily living and less pain and damage due to overuse issues. Explore your options! You’ll never know until you try!

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about the prosthetic options available to them, please contact us. Our prosthetists and occupational therapists are passionate about helping their patients reach their goals, so please tell us yours. If you’d like to leave a comment regarding this article, please do so below.