Recreational terminal devices for children with upper extremity amputations

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Children with upper extremity amputations face challenges in sports and recreation.
• Many find standard prostheses offer limited benefits for daily activities.
• The effectiveness of specialized recreational terminal devices for children is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the usefulness of 15 recreational terminal devices for upper extremity prostheses in children.
• To assess the impact of these devices on children's performance in sports and hobbies.

Main Methods:

• Chart review and patient surveys were used to assess 11 children with upper extremity amputations.
• All participants had functional elbows and were unilateral amputees (except one).
• Prosthetist instruction was provided, with occupational therapy for 3 patients.

Main Results:

• Nine of 15 prescribed recreational terminal devices improved performance, notably for weight lifting and violin.
• These successful devices were often obligatory for participation in specific activities.
• Costs ranged from $120-$957, with additional prosthesis costs; only 4 devices remained in use after 3.9 years due to waning interest or better alternatives.

Conclusions:

• Recreational terminal devices for weight lifting and violin bows can uniformly enhance a child's ability to engage in these activities.
• The high cost and children's transient interests necessitate careful individual family consideration of these prosthetic adaptations.