By Sofiia Tiapkina —
In the international community, arm prosthetics is a niche field. The loss of part or all of an arm is usually either a congenital pathology or trauma-related. In Ukraine, because of the full-scale invasion, the need for arm prosthetics has increased almost threefold compared to the military period of 2014-2022, and more than threefold compared to the pre-war period.
Even more important than the technologies in arm prosthetics are the knowledge and skills of the prosthetist and the patient’s work with an occupational therapist to master the device. Imagine all the elements that go into making every individually tailored prosthesis: the arm’s complex anatomy and biomechanics, the principles of restoring vital functions, determining the most appropriate design for the socket, considerations of weight, placement of fastenings, wrist flexion, and so much more. Every day, the industry moves forward — new types of fastenings, connecting features, and other components can significantly enhance the functionality of a prosthesis.
As Antonina Kumka, CEO of Protez Hub, explains, “Arm prosthesis is a delicate art — just like the human hand itself. Regardless of the advanced technology, we cannot hope to create a quality product without the proper education, experience, and investing our souls into the process.” Every device is the result of countless hours of preparation.
In 2023-2024, Nova Ukraine supported the Protez Hub team alongside the following businesses:
- Össur
- Patients of Ukraine
- War Injury Rehabilitation
- Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine
- Enhancing Skills for Life
- The King Baudouin Foundation
- Volia Fund
- NGO Girls
- ProsthetiKa, with the assistance of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine
Protez Hub focused on developing a cohort of experienced professionals from various enterprises and regions in arm prosthetics and occupational therapy. They worked on mastering the fundamental principles of arm prosthetics, prosthetics for complex cases including those that use electric elbows and bionic hands, and mechanical prosthetics with different types of fastenings. They also learned about prosthetics for bilateral arm amputation to achieve maximum independence and prosthetics with functional prostheses for partial hand/finger amputation. The cohort also became versed in occupational therapy for upper limb amputation.
Learn more about Nova Ukraine’s Medical Team.
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