I got my new arm this week, a thing of beauty! Rich Sire from Diablo Prosthetics did a great job on my new arm, I wanted to go for the high-tech look since I didn’t really like the look of my first prosthetic, which is pink (looks like a dolls arm). Since I’m not trying to pretend I have a real arm I might as well go with something that looks sleek and stylish!
My new carbon fiber socket is lighter weight and more streamlined than my old one, since my stump has shrunk about an inch in diameter and taken on a much less bulbous shape.
We’ve also used a different suspension system this time, a more traditional locking pin. The new liner I have is thinner, which also helps reduce the size of the socket and with the pin at the end of the liner locked in, it ain’t going nowhere (unlike my old socket which kept coming off).
Rich took some photos as he was making the socket, as before it starts of with the plaster cast made from the initial test socket. He attached the locking mechanism to the end and a clear plastic inner liner. He then uses bees-wax to mold the wrist section of the prosthesis, this is later melted away to leave it hollow.
Next comes the carbon fiber that is attached to the wrist and rolled down over the socket ready to be impregnated with resin.
Leave a Reply