I had an amazing week with Mucha! We worked the entire week to manufacture her Bi-Lateral Below Elbow Prosthesis. She progressed amazingly through the week. We are finishing off the arms today.
The components used were from a Swedish company called Fillauer
Products used:
1. Fillauer Soft Touch Grip 3 voluntary closing Grip
2. Fillauer OMEGA Round Wrist Unit
These 2 products are the main components in the set-up and are virtually indestructible. As Mucha lives in Zimbabwe, so we needed to use hard-core components that would last her many years. The harness is a cable setup that she uses to open and close the device. She can determine how fast and hard she wants to close and grip.
After taking the casts/moulds from Mucha’s residual limbs, we did the necessary cast modifications and manufactured the test sockets. The socket design is crucial as it must provide the amputee with suspension over her “elbow” condyles, meaning it grips over the condyles, so the arms do not just slip off, making it possible for her to pick up heavier objects.
We then fitted Mucha to see how the arms/sockets fit, still without any harnessing.
We then set up the harness that Mucha must use to control the grip – to open and close it. This system is a voluntary closing device – meaning by activating the harness, she closes the device to grip or pick up an object.
Since then Mucha has received her prosthetics and is once again able to live a happy and full life!
