Can I Wear an Upper Limb Prosthesis All Day?

But once you are past the adjustment period, how is it possible to wear a prosthesis all day? For us, it’s about making a comfortable, balanced prosthesis. For comfort, one of the major ingredients in our secret sauce is a silicone socket. You have probably run into silicone before – it’s used to make spatulas in the kitchen, babies' pacifiers and even smartwatch straps. When used as a socket, it conforms perfectly to our patients' residual limb without slipping off. It’s flexible. As our patient Peter puts it: “The silicone socket is a lot more streamlined and a lot less bulky than the thermoplastic socket I was in before.” It feels lighter and cooler to our patients, meaning our patients sweat less while wearing it. Additionally, its properties can sometimes help promote the growth of new skin. Don’t let anyone tell you that you have to “build up a callus” to feel comfortable wearing a device all day. Our patient Jason was told exactly that by his first prosthetist, before he came to us. He found out there was simply no reason for that kind of care (or lack thereof) – not when silicone sockets exist.” 

Because all of our prosthetists are upper-limb specialists, they have years of experience figuring out how best to balance a prosthesis so that the patient’s whole body feels balanced – or in the case of a partial hand difference, the residual hand. Knowing which device to use, how to build the frame and how to make it all work together with the socket can make a huge difference in creating something a patient can wear all day long.

So how long do our patients wear their devices? Joe: “I’ll wear the prosthetic for eight hours or more.” Todd: “My prosthesis is on all day. I work the night shift, so it’s on from about three in the morning until nine at night.” John: “I’ll usually put it on at four, four-thirty in the morning and sometimes take it off at seven o’clock at night, sometimes one in the morning.” Mandie: “On the days that I’m out and about, I wear it all day long.” Isaiah (pictured below): “Being able to wear something for eight, sometimes twelve hours, is pretty great.”