Losing a limb is a life-changing event and the amputee’s subsequent quality of life will be profoundly affected by the comfort afforded to them by the socket of their prosthesis. Many patients with amputations stop wearing their prosthesis and a major cause is socket related problems such as poor fit.
When a prosthetic limb is being fabricated, a check socket is used by clinicians to check the fit of the socket before the final prosthetic socket is made. Although temporary, the check sockets are a valuable step in gathering data for achieving an optimal fit with the final prosthetic socket.
Requirements:
- High transparency
- Excellent thermoforming properties
- Suitable for deep draw
- High strength and durability
PET-g is highly suitable for the manufacture of check sockets due to its excellent thermoforming properties and its high transparency, which allows the clinician to see the patient’s residual limb through the socket, evaluate the fit and make necessary changes. Whilst 12mm (0.500”) PET-g is suitable for many amputees, 15mm (0.591”) PET-g allows customisation with a deeper draw due to the increased thickness, making it possible to fabricate larger check sockets without compromising their strength.
Brett Martin’s new 15mm (0.591”) Marpet-g FS was recently tested by a US fabricator and we are able to confirm its suitability for making larger check sockets for prosthetic limbs.
Benefits of using Marpet-g FS:
- Increased thickness allows larger check sockets to be made whilst retaining the strength required to adequately test the fit of the socket on the patient.
- Excellent transparency allows the clinician to view the patient’s residual limb through the check socket and identify potential issues with its comfort and fit, allowing changes to be made before the manufacture of the final socket.
- Excellent strength and durability allows for a longer evaluation period, with the patient being able to take the check socket home without the risk that the material will break, crack or shatter.
- Good thermoforming properties mean that small local adjustments can be made by heating up a particular area until a good fit is achieved.
