The complexity of crafting an effective orthosis for upper limb and hand amputees involves both a patients’s particular needs and disorders, and capturing an appropriate impression to use in the fabrication procedure, a speaker said here.
Spasticity, difficult shapes of hand deformities, acceptance, user time, goals and consensus of treatment all contribute to the complexity of fabrication, according to Michael Ceder, CPO, orthopedic department, Jönköping, Sweden.
Cedar said creating impressions of upper limbs for orthotic fabrication has historically been challenging. Using plaster molds to create orthoses for patients with hand spasticity is a particular problem. Using CAD/CAM in these patients is not without difficulty, he said, but using foam molds can make the process a little easier. An imperfect scan still can help to fabricate an adequate orthosis, and CAD/CAM allows changes in angles and scale to accommodate growing children without the need for repeated scans.
Cedar presented tips to assist in shape-capturing of upper limbs by preparing the limb in an appropriate shape prior to using scanning technology. These tips included using tape, plastic bags and low level vacuum in order to hold the limb in the appropriate orientation prior to using the CAD/CAM techniques.
For more information, visit the Association for Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics website at www.acpoc.org, call (847) 698-1637 or email acpoc@aaos.org.
Disclosure: Cedar has no relevant financial disclosures.
