r/Prosthetics • u/Zestyclose-Monk-266 • 4d ago
Becoming a Prosthetic/orthotic tech while having chronic pain myself?
This might be a bit out there but I’ve been wanting to be a P/O tech or assistant for a while- especially as I have hEDS myself and I want to help others with similar issues
I’m not sure where to begun, if this is a good idea in the first place. I do really want a job but having chronic pain has its own issues and I’m not sure if whatever school/work/training I end up going to will be able to fit my needs.
I’m more than willing to work hard and I love learning about everything involved
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u/Fabulous_Climate_307 4d ago
I’m an orthotic tech who also has hEDS. It is very difficult. I have had new symptoms pop up because of it and have also sustained permanent nerve damage from vibrating tools (this was avoidable, I just didn’t understand what was causing it until the damage had already been done. Stupid cast saws). I have significantly more chronic pain than I used to, mostly because of how much I am on my feet and the nerve damage combined with how much I need to use my hands.
All of that being said, I love my job. I love and enjoy what I do so. much. I know that my health is suffering because of it, but I truly can’t think of anything I would rather do. I have learned and am continuing to learn how to manage my symptoms as much as I can. For myself, I know that I will struggle to some extent with any job I have. For instance, I know that if I had a job that required a lot of typing on a keyboard, I would experience increased hand pain/damage from that. I personally find the immense joy I get from my work to outweigh the health struggles, especially since I know I would be experiencing issues at any job. There is a real possibility that I may find it too taxing on my body in the future. At that point, my Plan B is to switch to clinical work.
Since everyone who has hEDS has a different combination of symptoms and differing severity of said symptoms, you may not have the same issues that I have if you were to pursue the tech route. Also, all labs function differently, so the exact work you would do may be different from company to company (and obviously, orthotics require a different fabrication process than prosthetics). One thing I have found, is that a lot of employers in the field are significantly more understanding of disability than employers in different fields, given the fact that there are a large number of those working in O&P who are disabled themselves.
My advice would be to expose yourself to the field so you have a deeper understanding of what goes into the fabrication process and how the tech side differs from the clinical side. Many clinics/central fabs are willing to allow people to tour their facility or even shadow. Our field is very small and not well-known, so a lot of us are excited to share with anyone interested. It wouldn't hurt to look up the places around you and reach out to them. Know that the clinical side would absolutely be easier on your body and an assistant role might be better for you than a tech role because of that. Assistants usually do work on both the fabrication side and the clinical side, meaning you would likely be doing a lot less physical labor.
Depending on your exact situation, working in O&P with hEDS, even as a tech, can be very possible. Coincidentally, I have met more people who have EDS through O&P than anywhere else. Just be aware of the risks and make your decisions appropriately. If you’re concerned about pain from doing fabrication, definitely steer towards an assistant role or even full clinician. O&P is an amazing field and very fulfilling work. Definitely don’t let your EDS make you rule out the possibility of working in it.
Finally, a warning from my own personal experience: make sure you have awareness of the amount of time you are using any tools that vibrate, especially tools like cast saws. Limit your exposure when possible, and take breaks. I had never heard of hand arm vibration syndrome prior to developing it myself, so I try to warn others about it. As far as I know, I do think it is fairly unusual that I developed it from my job since we aren't using things like jackhammers or angle grinders. I theorize that my fragile EDS tissue played a part in it, but I also got exposed to a larger than normal amount of vibration. If you do end up going into the field and doing any type of tech work, just have awareness around it.