Prosthetic Hand Provides Amputees with Sensation

Advancements in prosthetics technologies have meant an increasing number of devices that make it easy for people not only to use their hands for functional purposes, but also to feel, and sense objects.

New trials that are being conducted at the Case Western University and the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cleveland have focused on the development of limbs for persons who have lost hands. Two patients who lost limbs are participating in the trial, and one of those persons has been fitted with a new prosthetic hand. According to him, the hand allows him to feel objects when he touches them. This person had lost his sense of touch after the loss of his hand in an accident at work. He continued to experience frequent phantom pain.

Now, he can feel pressure, and textures using his prosthetic hand. He now has sensation on the thumb and index finger. Most of the phantom pain has disappeared since the fitting of the prosthetic limb.

According to the researchers, they are focusing on restoring the sense of touch in amputees. The prosthetic limb works by connecting the prosthetic hand to a contact point that has been embedded into cuffs. These cuffs are located around the nerve bundles of the arm. Apart from giving the amputees the sense of touch, the limbs feel perfectly normal, and allow them to have much more control over their functions. Amputees are also able to do more using their prosthetic hands, compared to earlier devices.

Bicyclists who have suffered limb loss, or limb amputations as a result of accidents or injuries, now have access to much more advanced prosthetics that can help them live a normal life and perform basic and routine functions. If you have suffered a serious injury in a bicycle accident, you are likely eligible for compensation for your injuries. Speak to a California bicycle accident lawyer about the damages you can recover.