Fabrication of a polysar, temporary prosthesis in a hospital setting.

The Physical Therapy Department at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation has been fabricating temporary prostheses since 1967. Initially, these below-knee limbs were constructed with a plaster socket attached to a modular type prosthesis. Early in 1970, we began to use polysar, a thermoplastic compound. It is nonirritating to the skin, light, durable, easily moldable, relatively inexpensive, retains suspension mechanisms adequately, and allows the production of a cosmetically acceptable training limb. Because we had difficulty with the direct forming method as described by Staros and Gardner, the indirect method was adopted.