Two for Two: Shriners Children’s New England POPS Team Fits Brothers With Myoelectric Arms

Christian and Jacob have been Shriners Children’s New England patients since they were toddlers.

Recently, they shared the experience of receiving a myoelectric arm from the Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services (POPS) team. The brothers have a unique opportunity to learn from one another as they incorporate the device’s cutting-edge technology into their everyday lives.

A myoelectric prosthesis uses the existing muscles in a patient’s residual limb to control its function. Sensors in the prosthetic socket receive electrical signals when a patient engages specific muscles in their residual limb. This sends a message to the prosthetic hand, telling the fingers to move.

Shriners Children’s New England prosthetics and orthotics manager Brock McConkey, CPO, treats Jacob, while prosthetist Liz Selgrade works with Christian. When the brothers began considering a myoelectric arm, they discussed it with their respective providers, tried a mock prosthesis and had several trial fittings. “It is a unique case to fit two myoelectric arms in the same family,” said Brock. “Liz and I worked closely throughout the process and agreed that final delivery on the same day was important.”

On the day they received their new prostheses, Brock and Liz helped the brothers make final adjustments and download the accompanying app. Certain device settings can be controlled by the app, which also features troubleshooting videos and other operational guides. According to their mom, Rachel, Christian and Jacob immediately accessed these resources. “They had everything downloaded and were excited to start watching videos together on the way home,” she said.

Ongoing communication between POPS patients and their care team is essential as they learn to use a prosthesis to its fullest potential. “New prosthetics technology is always emerging,” explained Brock. “As our patients grow and pursue different activities and interests, we evaluate if it makes sense to explore the use of task-specific tools like the myoelectric arm. Since it is a more sophisticated tool, it is usually best suited to older patients.”

A junior in high school, Christian has had prostheses in the past to assist with different activities, such as a weightlifting. The myoelectric arm is helping him accomplish many day-to-day tasks with greater ease. “For instance, I am able to open bottles with a second hand to hold onto it, rather than using my elbow against my chest,” he explained. Myoelectric arms offer a variety of grips depending on the task being performed. Christian learned that he could use the app to add grips, something he then taught Jacob how to do.

A seventh-grader, Jacob finds his new prosthesis helpful to hold objects like his cell phone. A function called freeze mode makes the bionic fingers lock for long periods, so gripped objects aren’t dropped. When Jacob realized he couldn’t control this setting through the app, a quick visit to POPS resolved the issue. “The sensitivity wasn’t set high enough to stay in freeze mode, but Brock helped me fix it,” he explained.

Both Christian and Jacob wear their myoelectric arm to school most days – if it is raining, they can’t risk getting the device wet at the bus stop – and continue to learn its capabilities together. Sharing their collective experience is beneficial in many ways. “We rely heavily on the feedback of current patients like Christian and Jacob to navigate future patient requests for prostheses,” said Brock. “At home, sharing what they find useful about the myoelectric arm and talking through issues that arise will also help their long-term success.”