Upper limb prosthetic rehabilitation

This article describes principles of rehabilitation, according to the ‘international classification of functioning’ model, for people who either required upper limb amputation or have a congenital absence. It also provides a description of current clinical practice at one of the largest prosthetic service providers in the UK.The aim is to provide an overview for any health professional who may work with people with upper limb deficiency as well as providing sufficient details to be useful to those already working in the speciality.Even with clinical advances, upper limb prostheses are often not what a prospective user may imagine. Clinicians need to be sensitive to this at the first consultation and when demonstrating prosthetic limbs. For instance, terminal devices including a split hook are still commonly used to provide useful power or precision grip in highly skilled manual work e.g. joinery. The development of a perfect prosthetic hand in both appearance and function, not to mention texture and warmth of a natural hand, remains a holy grail.