Experience and problems in the production of above-elbow prostheses and medical rehabilitation for a child with congenital unilateral trans-humeral deficiency

Abstract

There are few reports about prosthetic rehabilitation for children with congenital trans-humeral upper limb deficiency. This report presents a case study of a 3-year-old girl with a congenital trans-humeral upper limb deficiency and the process of acquisition of her prosthetic use. At the beginning of the training, she refused to use her upper limb prosthesis due to her lack of needs, but riding a bicycle inspired her to start using it. Rehabilitation training for 3 years resulted in skillful use of two upper limb prostheses, a body-powered prosthesis and a prosthesis for gymnastics. The successful key points were exploring her needs, repeated practices of control of the elbow joint, and her family support. The limited choice of pediatric components still remained a problem. Prosthetic rehabilitation for children with congenital trans-humeral upper limb deficiency is considered important to promote physical development and to learn activities of daily living with a prosthesis as well as for children with congenital trans-radial deficiency.