Does a Prosthetic Hand Have to Look Like a Hand?

There are times when someone wants to replace something they have lost with something that looks exactly like what they had before. There are times when people with a limb difference just want to blend into a crowd and not have anyone notice their limb difference. Custom silicone restorations are available for those situations when people want their prosthesis to look like a hand, their fingers to look like fingers, or their arm to look like an arm.

While custom silicone restorations have benefits beyond looking like a sound hand — including protecting sensitive areas on the residual limb, providing body symmetry, and assisting with tasks like holding a door open— they do have their limitations. Primarily, they don’t offer an active grasp for holding and manipulating objects. A single-motor myoelectric hand is another type of prosthesis that looks quite similar to a sound hand and has the ability to open and close.

Regardless of how technology improves, there may be some people who never choose to have a hand that looks like a hand. For some people, it’s about that awesome robotic look. For others, it’s about function. Many people consider their prosthesis a “tool,” which we heartily agree with.