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Congenital Upper Limb Differences in Children, Amniotic Band Syndrome and Prosthetic Options

Amber Henson
by Amber Henson
Jul 14, 2026

The pediatric patients that we provide prosthetic care to at our Arm Dynamics centers have varying diagnoses. Some of them are missing fingers or hands due to amniotic band syndrome. Others have symbrachydactyly or radial dysplasia. Regardless of the type of upper limb difference they have, we create custom prostheses that grow with them.

Sometimes a diagnosis of amniotic band syndrome is hard to confirm. A doctor may be reluctant to say exactly why your child is missing part of their arm or hand. This can be distressing for parents – it’s understandable to want a reason why something has caused your child to be born with a body that is not “typical.” It can also complicate an already muddled grieving process – the worries you may have about how they’ll navigate the future versus the joy that your child is here with you.

There may also be some challenges in how your child’s care team discusses this limb difference and any future prostheses. They may be too cavalier, saying things like “Children are resilient,” which can feel like they’re dismissing you when you ask about prostheses. Depending on the age of your child and if they are meeting their developmental milestones, you may be told that they don’t need a prosthesis, or at least not one at this time. This was what happened with Autumn’s parents:

In the video, Autumn’s mom Sarah says, “We wanted to know what tools she needed in her toolbox to be successful.” We love that! Prostheses are tools. They enable people to do what they may not otherwise be able to do, or help them do a task more efficiently, or to do a task without unnecessarily straining their bodies. We see quite a few adult patients each year who have congenital limb differences and some of them would like to be fit with a prosthesis because they are experiencing painful overuse symptoms. The choice for a child to be fit with a prosthesis should be a decision for parents to make, and as children get older, they may choose for themselves – but we can tell you that fitting a child with a prosthesis not only opens up their options, it allows them to get used to wearing a device AND it can reduce those overuse symptoms in later years.

The holistic prosthetic care we provide at our centers is focused on the patient’s goals. So, if a kid wants to ride a bike, climb at the playground or hit a ball, those are the goals we’re going to keep in mind as we create their prosthesis. We also pay close attention to how the prosthesis looks. Sometimes that means making a pink “swinger” arm:

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Or fingers sparkly and red:

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Or a dinosaur prosthesis for a toddler:

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Because we’re creating these custom devices, we can also think about what best serves the child. Sometimes we fit children with “open concept” devices – these allow the child to have a hand that opens and closes for grasping but leaves space for the patient’s hand to interact with the world.

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Our center teams have seen so many kids thrive with their prostheses. They have seen them grow with and graduate to adult-size prosthetic devices. They have been there to support the parents and connect those parents with other parents whose children have an upper limb difference. Many of our prosthetists and clinical therapy specialists are parents themselves and understand how much parents want their kids to thrive, whatever that may look like.

If your child, or a child you are related to, may benefit from our holistic prosthetic care, please contact us. If you would like to leave a comment on this article, please do so below.

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