Prosthetic limbs have been around for ages and it is used to replace a limb that is lost due to an accident, battle or even disease. Prosthetic limbs have come leaps and bounds since they first originated and while some are pretty simple and straight forward, technology has allowed for some prosthetic limbs to be rather complex and have wires and gears.  The best thing about prosthetic limbs is that the cost has decreased and it’s now something that almost anybody can afford.

The first prosthetic limbs were discovered in 1828 in Italy and it was a leg that dated back to 300 B.C! It was quite a simple design, made from lead, iron and wood.

The most popular prosthetic limbs are probably wooden peg legs – we have all seen a cartoon or a movie of a pirate with one of these and they were also worn by soldiers and rich people back in the Dark Ages of the 15^th century. These were worn so that soldiers could ride their horses and carry on with battle but they were not used on a daily basis. Only very rich people during this time could afford prosthetic limbs that can be used on a daily basis.

As technology progressed, so did the design of prosthetic limbs. In the 19^th century, James Potts revolutionized prosthetic limbs when he designed a prosthetic leg that managed to lift the toe when the knee was bent. This was done with artificial tendons.  Since then, there were many alterations made to prosthetic limbs but the big breakthrough came in 1912 when the first aluminium prosthetic leg was created by Marcel and Charles Desoutter. Marcel lost a leg during an aviation accident and, as a result, Hanger Prosthetics was created just before the 1900s.

Now, more than a century later, prosthetic limbs have become so advanced that people can carry on with their daily lives and even compete in sporting events thanks to prosthetic limbs. Today’s prosthetic limbs are mad of aluminium, plastic and composites. There are prosthetic limbs to suit everyone’s needs and everyone’s pockets and it’s just one way modern technology is making life easier for those who  lost a limb due to serving their country or an accident that was beyond their control.  This is thanks to biotechnology, nanotechnology and even rocket technology. These all help design prosthetic limbs that the body accepts and minimilizes the risk of infection by creating prosthetic limbs that the body will not reject.

While these limbs might look very robotic, they function just as well, if not better than the real flesh and blood limbs would. Prosthetic limbs are not limited to just legs and arms – you can even get artificial heart valves!

For more information on prosthetic limbs, speaking to your healthcare professional or visit a website called Nextstepoandp.com. Here you will find a ton on information on prosthetic limbs as well as inspirational stories of people who live with prosthetic limbs and who have achieved great things despite being “disabled”.

Remember that, just because you have prosthetic limbs does not mean you are any less important than people who don’t. You have the same rights and you can still achieve all your dreams.