What are some of the common parts to an upper limb prosthesis?
The upper limb prosthesis has various components that assist the amputee in recreational activities and activities of daily living. The various components that may be used depend greatly on the level of the amputee as well as the person’s age and comprehension. A basic upper limb prosthesis is composed of a socket that fits onto the residual limb, a suspension system that keeps the prosthesis on the limb, a prosthetic shoulder or elbow joint if necessary depending on the level of the deficiency, as well as a terminal device or hand that manipulates objects. If needed, the prosthetic shoulder, elbow and terminal device are operated with two types of control systems. The body powered control system works through a cable that is attached to a suspension system such as a shoulder harness. It is referred to as a body powered prosthesis because movement of the prosthesis depends on certain arm and shoulder motions that are used to manipulate the prosthetic limb. When the shoulder or shoulder
