Suction Sockets: A Boon for People Wearing Upper Limb Prostheses

Doug’s prosthetist is Mac Lang at our Portland, OR, center: “With Doug’s old prosthesis, he kind of had to corkscrew his residual limb into the socket – similar to putting your thumb in a Coke bottle. It worked, but it’s not a very positive fit once he gets past the tight part. Also, while it’s not super difficult to get in, it’s more difficult to get out. Since Doug doesn’t have his other arm, it’s that much more difficult. So, the stability and convenience of the suction socket make a huge difference for him in terms of both comfort and function.”

When Tom is wearing his body-powered device, he needs to wear a harness so he can open and close the hook with his back and shoulders. When he wears his multi-articulating myoelectric hand, he doesn’t need a harness. Tom’s wrist disarticulation amputation is through the wrist joint, which leaves the end of the two forearm bones. The two bony bumps on the sides of the wrist are styloids, and when those are present, it creates a larger contour at the end of the arm. Tom’s prosthetist is also Mac, and he told us, “That contour allows us to mold the inner socket in such a way that he can push past the flexible silicone socket that is intimately fit to his residual limb. This, along with the silicone on top, slightly compresses his tissues, creating the airtight or suction fit that is the main mode of suspension.”

Another huge benefit that both Tom (pictured below) and Doug enjoy is using their arm motion to rotate the socket and frame. It attaches below the higher joint – so when they rotate their arm, their arm doesn’t just rotate freely inside their socket, it actually rotates their device. This is a big functional advantage!