Our group of three was working to design and fabricate devices that will be used to protect the forearm between two joints. This is the area between the elbow and wrist joints. The orthotic aim of this device is to protect the forearm post-fracture. Thus, it would be specifically designed for post-fracture protection. The device will cover two important bones of the forearm, namely, the radius and the ulna. The primary purpose of the device is protected and the secondary purpose of the device is to prevent any kind of movement in those two bones mentioned earlier. There is a need to stabilize both the radius and ulna because the sudden movement of the fractured area will cause pain.
The project was started with the measurement of the area: below elbow joint and the above wrist joint. After that, the team measured the largest circumference of the forearm. The next step is casting and modifying. Three casts were made and then the best two were selected. There were only minimal modifications. For instance, there is a need to relieve bony prominences and also we need to have a medium load on areas with softer tissues.
The next step was to fabricate. The foam liner was the first part that was created. And after that, the outer shell was fabricated using vacuum bag lamination. The final step of the process was finishing and fitting. The device was tested on the patient. It was fitted and the team did not only consider how comfortable the device was but there was also a need to find out if the straps work fine. We attached straps at the proximal and distal ends of the device.
This project is an attempt to create a highly functional device that will not sacrifice comfort. The most important goal is to create a mechanism that will prevent the radius and ulna from moving. It is not only about the pain but also the need to prevent unnecessary movement so that proper healing of the fractured bone can commence. This is an important project for the team because it gave us the ability not only to the created device that will aid in the treatment of a broken bone but also to learn the intricacies of modification and interaction with the patient to design, develop, modify, and fit a device. This is a good starting point for tackling more complex problems later on.
Without a doubt life with only one hand is a major challenge, especially if you were born normal and used to having both hands to do work and play. I reflected on life without my non-dominant hand, in the context of performing three tasks: 1) buying a cup of coffee and drinking it; 2) locating borrowing and reading a book from the library; 3) using a computer to send an email. The most difficult to perform is buying a cup of coffee and drinking it because I still need to put sugar and milk. It was difficult because the Styrofoam cup has a lid on it and it was difficult to open it considering there is a hot liquid inside. The others are not as difficult because these tasks can be performed with one hand.
Alternative strategies are needed such as the use of the lips to pull up the lid off the cup. In borrowing a book, there is a need to sign something; the teeth can be used to replace the cap of the pen. However, there is not much problem when it comes to email. It must be pointed out though that there was the problem of environmental parameters that impeded my ability and this is none other than the fact that items were designed for two-handed individuals.
The three grips used for the task were precision grip, lateral grip, tripod grip, and spherical grip. The precision grip was needed to pick up the pen and then the tripod grip for writing. The spherical grip was for the coffee. And the lateral grip was needed to release the laptop latch – to open the laptop like a clamshell.
It is difficult to act strange in front of other people such as in a diner or coffee shop. But this experience is necessary to help me appreciate the need for experts to work in upper limb prosthetics and also the need to design functional and yet comfortable devices.