From Traditional to Digital: Redefining Fabrication Sciences

At the Academy Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium, a technical presentation generated a discussion of fabrication methodologies and how they determine or define a prosthesis. The conversation called into question the notion of what Western society defines as a prosthesis. Is it simply a socket, shank, foot, and suspension—or can it be something alternative? Can it include nontraditional or repurposed items? Do the alternatives meet the accepted or modern definition of a prosthesis?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a prosthesis as an “externally applied device used to replace wholly or partly an absent or deficient limb segment.”¹ The specific details of how that limb segment is replaced is determined by the prosthetist and patient and is not prescriptive as to the exact materials or components. Quality standards remain essential and the WHO outlines that “reuse of prosthetic and orthotic components must be monitored properly to prevent use of low-quality, overused, or defective items, which could result in accidents and injuries.”¹