3D Prosthetics Effects on Standing Posture in Unilateral Upper Limb Deficient Children

3D Prosthetics Effects on Standing Posture in Unilateral Upper Limb Deficient Children Keaton Young Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha Introduction Upper Limb Reduction Deficiency (ULD) is a congenital disability that affects the upper limb, which the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 1,500 babies are born with ULD in the United States yearly 1,2. Prior research has focused on functional treatment of the upper limbs but has lacked observance of the effects that prosthetics and limb loss incur to the trunk. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the acute effects of 3D prosthetics on standing trunk posture. Methods Nine children ages were recruited (5 = ULD, 4 = Control) for participation in this study. Body-powered prosthetic devices were designed using computer-aided design software and fabricated using 3D printers that were utilized by both groups. Participants stood without a prosthetic in Condition 1 and with a prosthetic in Condition 2. Motion and force capture was used to observe trunk rotation in multiple planes and center of pressure. Results & Discussion Lateral bending and flexion/extension range of motion were lower in ULD compared to controls. Normalized COP indicated a significant decrease in AP & ML range between C1 and C2, where COP sway increased between C1 and C2 in both groups. The presented data indicate that ULD children present decreased trunk motion and COP sway, which may indicate musculoskeletal tension causing rigidity in standing posture and may lead to the possibility of musculoskeletal pain in growth and adulthood. 1. Rosano, a, Botto, L. D., Olney, R. S., Khoury, M. J., Ritvanen, a, Goujard, J., … Mastroiacovo, P. (2000). Limb defects associated with major congenital anomalies: clinical and epidemiological study from the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Monitoring Systems. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 93(2), 110–6. 2. Canfield, M. A., Honein, M. A., Yuskiv, N., Xing, J., Mai, C. T., Collins, J. S., … Kirby, R. S. (2006). National estimates and race/ethnic-specific variation of selected birth defects in the United States, 1999-2001. Birth Defects Research Part A - Clinical and Molecular Teratology, 76(11), 747–756