Easier Way to Make Prosthetic Sockets

Researchers have developed an easier and less-expensive way to make sockets for prosthetic limbs.

The most important and difficult part of making a prosthetic limb is the socket, which traditionally has required the expertise of a specially trained prosthetist. The new method uses a gel instead of plaster to make the stump mold. In this process, the stump is placed in a pail with water and alginate powder, and the powder turns into a jello-like substance in about five minutes. The gel contours to the shape of the stump and produces an exact mold. Plaster is then used to fill the mold and create a model of the stump.

To test this alternative, the research team made two sockets for each of 10 leg amputees. One socket was made with the traditional plaster mold method, and the other was made with the alginate gel. Using several measurements of walking performance and quality of life, the team found no differences in the success of the two types of sockets. When asked which socket they wanted to keep, five of the amputees chose the one made with the gel process, while four chose the traditional socket, and one person chose to keep both.

"In this preliminary study, we've shown that it's possible to make a socket without any modifications, using a process that's easy enough to be performed by a technician instead of a specialized prosthetist,” said principal investigator Jack R. Engsberg, Ph.D., of the Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO; USA).