A new study published in the Canadian Prosthetics and Orthotics Journal has highlighted a practical and urgent question for public prosthetic services in South Africa: when prostheses are no longer being used, can their components be safely recovered and reused to improve access for other patients?
The study, titled “Lower Limb Prosthesis Abandonment and Recycling of Used Components in the Public Healthcare Sector of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa,” examined why people stop using lower-limb prostheses and whether reusable components could be recovered from abandoned devices.
The findings are particularly relevant because waiting times for lower-limb prostheses in South Africa’s public healthcare system can exceed 12 months, with shortages of prosthetic components contributing to delays.
The study found that 51% of participants stopped using their prosthesis because of poor fit. This reinforces a long-standing message within prosthetics and orthotics: successful prosthetic provision depends not only on delivering a device, but on delivering a device that remains comfortable, functional and clinically appropriate over time.
Poor socket fit can lead to pain, skin breakdown, instability, reduced confidence and eventual abandonment. In resource-limited public health systems, this creates a double burden. The patient remains without an effective mobility solution, while valuable prosthetic components may sit unused.
For clinicians and service managers, the finding underlines the importance of follow-up, socket adjustment, maintenance pathways and timely replacement before a poorly fitting prosthesis becomes unusable.
One of the most important findings was the high level of user acceptance for component reuse. According to the study, 98% of participants supported the idea of reusing prosthetic components.
This is significant because reuse programmes can sometimes raise ethical, cultural or practical concerns. The South African data suggests that, when properly explained and managed, users may be highly supportive of recovering components from prostheses that are no longer in use.
The study also reported that 91% of prostheses were successfully recovered, and that approximately 190 components could potentially be reused.
For public rehabilitation systems facing long waiting lists and constrained budgets, component recovery could offer a practical way to extend limited resources.
Reusable components may include items such as prosthetic feet, pylons, adapters and other modular parts, depending on their condition, safety and compatibility. However, reuse must be governed by clear clinical and technical standards. Components need to be inspected, cleaned, documented, tested where appropriate and used only when safe.
The opportunity is not simply about recycling. It is about creating a structured component recovery system that protects patient safety while reducing waste and improving access.
The study’s findings have relevance well beyond the Eastern Cape. Many countries across Africa and the wider IMEA region face similar challenges: limited public funding, long prosthetic waiting times, shortages of trained personnel, high import costs and inconsistent access to replacement parts.
In these settings, abandoned prostheses represent both a clinical failure and a missed systems opportunity. If a device is no longer used because of poor fit, discomfort or changing patient needs, there may still be components that can help another user regain mobility.
A structured reuse pathway could support:
While the study points to a promising opportunity, component reuse should not be seen as a substitute for high-quality prosthetic care. Reused components still require professional assessment, appropriate prescription, correct alignment, proper fitting and follow-up.
The central lesson is that prosthetic systems must manage the full lifecycle of the device. This includes initial assessment, fabrication, fitting, rehabilitation, repairs, component replacement, and end-of-use recovery.
A prosthesis that is abandoned because of poor fit is a reminder that the outcome is not the delivery of a limb. The outcome is sustained, safe and comfortable use.
The South African study offers a valuable contribution to discussions on sustainability, affordability and access in prosthetics and orthotics.
In public systems where patients may wait more than a year for a prosthesis, recovering safe, reusable components from abandoned devices could become an important strategy. It could help reduce waiting times, lower costs and make better use of scarce prosthetic resources.
However, the approach will only succeed if it is integrated into formal service systems, guided by professional standards and supported by clear policies on inspection, documentation, hygiene, safety and accountability.
For IMEA CPO readers, the study is a reminder that innovation in prosthetics is not only about new technology. Sometimes, it is also about smarter systems, better follow-up and making full use of the resources already available.