My first experience with someone with limb loss was Uncle Mack, who had lost his lower arm in a farm accident (and I’m pretty sure he was more likely a distant cousin). He worked at the sale barn where a few times a year, I’d spend the day with my grandparents, brother, and youngest uncle in the stands at an indoor arena waiting for our group of cattle to be auctioned off. To break up the monotony, we’d go out to the pens where Uncle Mack was herding cattle through chutes toward the arena or tossing hay bales using his body-powered prosthesis with a hook terminal device. That was in the early 70s, and obviously, options for upper-limb users have come a long way since then. In this month’s issue, we look at some of the advances clinicians now have to help people with upper-limb loss and impairment.
“Comparing Multiarticulating Hands Available in the United States” discusses eight multiarticulating hands currently on the market. It also offers perspectives on how coding for these hands can impact selection and what role marketing plays in educating practitioners and users in choosing the most appropriate device. Additionally, this article discusses the criteria upper-limb specialists use in their decision-making for selecting a multiarticulating hand.
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