‘Sci-fi syndrome’ and the fight for artificial limbs

Canadians were moved and inspired by the tenacity and drive of the wounded, injured and ill military personnel and veterans who took part in the Invictus Games. War amputee participants Steve Murgatroyd and Simon Mailloux have also provided Canadians with an important reality check regarding the limits of today’s high-tech artificial limbs.

There remain significant concerns about the financial compensation made available to seriously disabled veterans in Canada under the New Veterans Charter. But the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada deserve credit for realistically assessing the needs of their amputee personnel and veterans and providing appropriate artificial limbs, an area that the War Amps monitors and advises on through our partnership with both departments.

For most Canadian amputees, however, the optics regarding artificial limbs are quite different. Hollywood films have raised the public’s expectation of what is possible for artificial limbs. But in truth, the devices depicted are based on special effects, not the real prosthetic technology available to compensate for limb loss today.

When Luke Skywalker lost his hand in Star Wars, it was replaced with one identical in look and with all the fine motor control of his biological hand. In contrast, real-life amputees have to settle for prosthetic hands that do two things: open and close.

Within the War Amps Advocacy Program, which is an ongoing crusade for the reform of health care for Canadian amputees, we refer to this phenomenon as “sci-fi syndrome.” A huge chasm still separates the biological limb from even its most advanced prosthetic counterpart and the knock-on effects of sci-fi syndrome are downright harmful.

Artificial limbs can only replace some of the basic functionality of the human hand, ankle or knee. Indeed, the demands of everyday life that we take for granted — including simply walking, trying to avoid falls or writing legibly — can be formidable challenges for even the most agile amputee.

When the public experiences sci-fi syndrome, it can create unrealistic expectations of what amputees can do. When government and private insurers embrace this syndrome, however, it is much more pernicious. When they believe that artificial limbs give superhuman strength, they respond by funding the most basic limbs only, regarding more sophisticated ones as a luxury.

This results in, at best, a nickel-and-dime approach by these agencies and, at worst, an outright denial of funding for essential, medically prescribed artificial limbs.

We are certain that most Canadians would be shocked to know that those who suffer the loss of a limb are not adequately covered by their provincial government health plans or insurance companies for artificial limbs, and some provinces provide no coverage at all. Many amputees are left with thousands of dollars in debt just to have a leg that will allow them to walk downhill and, in desperate circumstances, even crowdfunding has proven necessary, which is a shameful state of affairs for Canada’s health-care system.

The War Amps fills the gaps where it can, but as a charity that relies on public donations, funds can only go so far. Through our Advocacy Program, we are pulling out all the stops to educate on and address these gaps in support.

Limb loss is rare, affecting only a small segment of the population. To provide appropriate artificial limbs for those who need them would cost significantly less than the cost of knee and hip replacements (which are fully covered), and would be a cost-saving measure for taxpayers. Studies show that when a person receives the prosthesis they need, their cost of care decreases, which in turn reduces the demand on a strained health-care system.

That is not sci-fi — it’s good economics.

Brian N. Forbes is chairman of the War Amps executive committee.

Annelise Petlock is the War Amps Advocacy program manager.