Thanks to all who replied to my inquiry about substitutes for
traditional surgical tubing as gripping aids for hook-type terminal
devices. As is often the case with resourceful patients, this patient
found his own solution by using the outside insulation from some
18-gauge electrical wire purchased at Home Depot. He finds the
insulation to have gripping qualities equivalent to those of surgical
tubing, while having greater resistance to soiling and discoloration.
C. J. Martin, CPO
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Original Post:
I have a friend who has bilateral trans-radial amputations and uses
body-powered prostheses with voluntary-opening hooks (5X, 555). He
likes to use the old trick of putting surgical tubing on the hook
fingers to increase gripping friction, but he finds that the tubing
becomes soiled rather quickly; and he has some difficulty replacing it
himself. He would like to use something more practical and more
durable. Two possibilities that come to mind are plastisol coating like
that used on the children’s hooks, or heat-shrink electrical tubing.
Does anyone have any experience or suggestions for this situation?
C. J. Martin, CPO
