· The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a global estimate of 35–40 million people who require prosthetics and orthotics services and today, only 1 in 10 people in need has access to assistive products (Ziegler-Graham et al., 2008).
· 2.1 million people are living with limb loss in the USA, and that number is expected to double by 2050 (Ziegler-Graham et al., 2008). However, fewer than half of amputees ever receive a prescription for a prosthetic device. (Linda Resnik, 2015)
· 185,000 people have an amputation each year corresponding to 300- 500 amputations every day. (Owings & Kozak, 1998). While 80% of all amputations are the result of vascular disease or cancer, upper extremity amputations are primarily (69%) the result of trauma (from war or accidents) and result in substantially more disability (Williams & Walter, 2015).
· According to the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (Aopa 2016), partial amputations, i.e. finger amputations, represent the majority of upper-limb losses (75.6%), and trans-radial and trans-humeral amputations constitute a percentage oscillating between 5% and 6%. Despite this, the level of impairment caused by trans-radial and trans-humeral amputations is greater than for partial amputations. However, the more extensive the amputation, the more disability the user experiences due to lack of mobility.
A recent survey found that every $1 spent on rehabilitation saves the economy $11 in various welfare and disability benefits. On the other hand, a person who does not receive a prosthetic within 2 years of amputation has a greater likelihood of social welfare, increased health concerns including obesity-related diseases, and is more likely to suffer depression. (Disabled World, n.d.)
WHO . Standards for prosthetics and orthotics. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017.
Ziegler-Graham, K., EJ, M., PL, E., TG, T., & R, B. (2008). Estimating the prevalence of limb loss in the United States: 2005 to 2050. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 89(3), 422–429.
Linda Resnik, M. B. (2015). Predicting prosthetic prescription after major lower-limb amputation. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development2, 52(6), 641–652.
Owings, M., & Kozak, L. J. (1998). National Center for Health S. Ambulatory and Inpatient Procedures in the United States.
Williams, M. R., & Walter, W. (2015). Development of a prototype over-actuated biomimetic prosthetic hand. PLoS ONE, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118817
Aopa A O P A 2016 Where science meets art (American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA))
Disabled World. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/prostheses/prosthetics-costs.php