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Occupational therapy protocol for amputees with targeted muscle reinnervation

Kathy A. Stubblefield, OTR/L, et al.

Figure. Targeted muscle reinnervation of peripheral nerves to pectoralismajor in shoulder disarticulation amputation. N = nerve.

When an arm is amputated above the elbow, prosthesis control is complicated and awkward. Targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) is a surgical procedure aimed at making myoelectric prosthesis control easier for people with high-level amputations. Ten service members previously fitted and trained using conventional prosthesis control have benefited from this revision. This article describes the recommended therapy regimen for occupational therapists working with patients who have undergone TMR. The patients learn to use the reinnervated muscles to control the prosthesis more easily, naturally, and quickly than with the more conventional prosthetic fitting.


Volume 46 Number 4, 2009
   Pages 481 — 488

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