“Is Everyone Looking at Me?” Upper Limb Differences and Public Perception

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is an oft-quoted line from the book Molly Bawn. This concept, that looks are a matter of opinion, is aptly applied to upper limb differences. It’s not just how someone feels about their upper limb difference — it’s also about how they think other people perceive them.

While all limb differences can make someone self-conscious, upper limb differences are especially visible. From our article “Five Keys to Understanding the Emotional Impact of Upper Limb Loss” written by Dr. Suzy Phelps, clinical psychologist:

“Most people with lower limb loss can wear a pair of long pants, and their limb difference or prosthesis becomes invisible to others. But if you lose part of an upper limb, you can’t just cover it up. In fact, you may be the object of unwanted attention and questions from strangers. It definitely takes time to get used to the fact that your body image has changed.”

How a prosthesis fits in with this body image is different for each patient. When first choosing a prosthetic device, one must consider what the purpose is. Do they want to look like an average person, with two sound arms and hands? If so, a passive silicone restoration might be the way to go. Do they want function above all else? Body-powered devices can allow the user to perform many of the tasks that a human hand can do. What if the patient is drawn to a cool, bionic look? Many myoelectric devices offer a sleek, robotic design.

We’ve had many patients who start out with one prosthesis, only to find with time that something else may work better for them, either in terms of looks or function. For many of our patients, their relationship with their prosthesis seems to be something of a journey. That journey is as unique as the patient themselves.

Take our patient Tom. As a teenager, he lost his hand in a wakeboarding accident. At first, our Portland center fit Tom with a single-motor myoelectric hand. As Tom told us later about his first prosthesis, “The main thing I was looking for was that I wanted it to look like a hand. I wanted to have it so if I wore a long-sleeved shirt, it would cover it up, and I wasn’t getting a lot of questions from people.” But after six years, Tom’s feelings regarding his limb difference and his prosthesis changed. “Now the hand I wear is completely different. It’s a lot more of embracing that robotic look — not being shy of it. Showing people, yeah, I do have a prosthesis.” Tom has both an iLimb Quantum (in the photo below on the right) and a TASKA hand, which are multi-articulating myoelectric terminal devices.