Two for Two: Shriners Children’s New England POPS Team Fits Brothers With Myoelectric Arms
Christian and Jacob have been Shriners Children’s New England patients since they were toddlers.
Recently, they shared the experience of receiving a myoelectric arm from the Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) team. The brothers have a unique opportunity to learn from one another as they incorporate the device’s cutting-edge technology into their everyday lives.
A myoelectric prosthesis uses the existing muscles in a patient’s residual limb to control its function. Sensors in the prosthetic socket receive electrical signals when a patient engages specific muscles in their residual limb. This sends a message to the prosthetic hand, telling the fingers to move.
Shriners Children’s New England prosthetics and orthotics manager Brock McConkey, CPO, treats Jacob, while prosthetist Liz Selgrade works with Christian. When the brothers began considering a myoelectric arm, they discussed it with their respective providers, tried a mock prosthesis and had several trial fittings. “It is a unique case to fit two myoelectric arms in the same family,” said Brock. “Liz and I worked closely throughout the process and agreed that final delivery on the same day was important.”
On the day they received their new prostheses, Brock and Liz helped the brothers make final adjustments and download the accompanying app. Certain device settings can be controlled by the app, which also features troubleshooting videos and other operational guides. According to their mom, Rachel, Christian and Jacob immediately accessed these resources. “They had everything downloaded and were excited to start watching videos together on the way home,” she said.
New prosthetics technology is always emerging. As our patients grow and pursue different activities and interests, we evaluate if it makes sense to explore the use of task-specific tools like the myoelectric arm.
