Occupational Therapy:
The Upper Limb Rehabilitation Process Through OT
Promoting health, well-being, and participation in daily activities
We have developed a process to help you successfully reach your goals.
Rehabilitation after an amputation surgery is a multi-step process.
Our team of clinicians has decades of combined experience in upper limb prosthetic care. Combining this knowledge with new technologies, we can help you reach your full potential.
Step 1:
Post-Amputation: After your amputation, your care team will work to ensure your surgery site heals successfully and your limb is prepped for prosthetic care. This will include:
-
Appropriate wound care
-
Shrinker wear
-
Maintaining strength and range of motion
-
Desensitization exercises
-
Consultation on any surgical revisions or follow-up
Step 2:
Initial Collaborative Interprofessional Consultation/Evaluation: When your residual limb is healed, the next step is to gather as much information as possible in order to guide decisions on the type of prosthesis and components that will best meet your goals. Discussions about social life, family, work, hobbies, and current medical status all contribute to the care plan we develop. At this point, measurements, an impression, or a scan are taken to capture the shape of the limb.
​
At this point, the prosthetist conducts a thorough evaluation with measurements, an impression, or a scan capture of the residual limb.
​
While a prosthetist will design, build, and fit a prosthesis, an occupational therapist is an expert at teaching you how to integrate it into everyday life. At Handspring, we strive to include therapists as early as possible into the process as their perspective and input is invaluable to successful outcomes.
Step 3:
Diagnostic Fittings: A “rough draft” of the prosthesis is fabricated to ensure that everything fits well, is comfortable, and is providing functional benefit. The socket will be made from a clear plastic which is much easier to modify and provides the opportunity to see inside the socket. It is common to spend the most time on this part of the process, perfecting fit and function. Additional intervention is provided to prepare the person for the prosthesis, including desensitization and weight training to build tolerance for the socket, the prosthesis weight and length, and the harnessing.
Step 4:
Definitive (Final) Fitting: After multiple iterations of check sockets, your final prosthesis will be fabricated from carbon or another material designed for long term durability. This can be personalized to match your skin tone or made with a fun fabric to express your personality. Initial prosthetic training is supplied at this time to assess the baseline function and monitor improvements in ability, use, and satisfaction.
Step 5:
Beyond the Fitting: Your definitive fitting does not mean your prosthetic care is over. Long-term care may consist of any of the following activities:
-
Socket replacement due to weight loss/gain or limb shape changes
-
Component replacements
-
Maintenance for wear and tear
-
Further physical and/or occupational therapy for prosthetic training and skills refinement
-
Adjustments to harnessing, programming, fit, etc. to maintain comfort and function
Providing personalized, expert care in upper & lower limb prosthetic rehabilitation.