To evaluate the actual daily use of the prosthetic device in patients with transradial amputations, researchers conducted a study that recorded the number of grasping motions.
Upper-limb function was evaluated using different objective and timed assessments in five patients with unilateral transradial amputations. Patients reported daily wearing time, and the number of prosthetic movements performed over a period of at least three months. The patients achieved a mean Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure score of 66.6 ± 18.64 points. The average blocks moved in the Box and Block Test were 20.80 ± 7.46, and the mean score in the Action Research Arm Test was 37.2 ± 5.45. The mean time for the Clothespin Relocation Test was 26.90 ± 11.61 seconds.
The patients reported a wearing time of an average of 12.80 ± 3.11 hours per day. The mean number of prosthetic motions performed each day was 257.23 ± 192.95 with a range from 23.07 to 489.13.
The researchers concluded that neither high functionality nor long wearing times necessitated frequent use of a prosthesis in daily life. However, they noted, frequent daily motions did translate into good functional scores, indicating that regular device use in different real-life settings relates to functionality.
The study, “Actual prosthetic usage in relation to functional outcomes and wearing time in individuals with below-elbow amputation,” was published in Prosthetics and Orthotics International.
