There are about 1.7 million individuals with major limb loss in the United States, most of whom have lower-limb amputations.1 The population of people with upper-limb amputations is a mere fraction of the size-numbering about 41,000 individuals-with the limb loss primarily due to trauma.1 Amputation of the fingers accounts for the vast majority (74 percent) of upper-limb amputations.2 While rejection rates for upper-limb prostheses can be high, there is evidence to support the idea that improvements in technology will encourage users to reattempt prosthesis use.3 The options for external-powered components have expanded greatly in recent years. New features for prosthetic hands have been introduced that include pattern recognition, and smaller, multiarticulating prosthetic hands, as well as design improvements for partial hand prostheses. The goal of much of the new technology incorporated into these devices is to return as much function as possible to the individual using the prosthesis.
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