Adam Smith – Naked Prosthetics MCPDriver allows farmer to return to work with newfound confidence

Adam Smith, from Northamptonshire has had a passion for farming since the age of 5 years old and a particular love for cattle. By the time he turned sixteen, Adam's aspirations led him to pursue a career as a Herds Manager, where he thrived in the hands-on management of livestock health.

Whilst at work in July 2020, during a routine procedure whereby a cow was being lifted, disaster struck and Adam’s hand got trapped and crushed inside the forklift. Adam was rushed to hospital and underwent a series of surgeries, yet ultimately lost the middle finger of his left hand. The nature of Adam’s job is very labour intensive, and the accident meant that he could no longer perform his role which resulted in him having to find a new path. So, he thought long and hard and decided to retrain as a Vet and now visits lots of different farms to test for diseases. “The accident affected me a lot more than I thought it would; psychologically my confidence was really knocked. I felt like people were looking at me differently”, explained Adam.

In May 2022, Adam was referred to the Dorset Orthopaedic clinic in Amersham (formally known as Pace Rehabilitation). Hopeful for a functional prosthetic device, Adam met prosthetist, Jamie Gillespie. During his clinical assessment, they investigated the use of Naked Prosthetics devices using a clinical evaluation kit. The remaining length of his finger was unfortunately too long for use of the Naked Prosthetics MCPDriver. The MCPDriver restores the middle and distal phalanges. These body-driven, articulating devices allow patients to regain fine dexterity and natural grip patterns. Despite having already undergone 4 surgeries since his accident, Adam opted to undergo revision surgery in December 2022 to shorten the length of his finger to fit the MCPDriver.

Following the success of the surgery, Adam returned to the Amersham clinic and was fitted with the MCPDriver. Since then, he has flourished in his personal life and his work career is back on track. “The MCP Driver allows me to do my job properly. When you lose a finger, you think you have a grip on items, but you don’t. It has fantastic grip, so I am no longer dropping things. I’m back in the gym training 6 times a week, lifting heavier weights than ever before. I have lost 3 stone since getting back to the gym,” expressed Adam. On top of the gym, the MCPDriver has allowed Adam to reignite his love for cooking having previously owned a restaurant.

With the success of his functional prosthesis, Adam had a lifelike silicone prosthetic finger created. Silicone technicians visited the Amersham clinic for a colour match appointment to ensure the prosthetic finger is an exact match to his right hand. Adam uses his silicone prosthesis when out socially with friends and family and then switches to his Naked Prosthetic device for functional tasks. “People don’t notice I am wearing the silicone finger, it blends in completely, so I no longer feel like I am being looked at differently”, explained Adam.

Since having his prosthetic provision, Adam is feeling confident and positive about getting back to doing the hobbies he loves. He is looking forward to the year ahead and is kept busy at home looking after three rescued raccoons while working a full-time job, regularly hitting the gym, cooking, and spending time with his loved ones. “Jamie and the team at Amersham have been so helpful. If you have the opportunity, I recommend getting a prosthetic which allows you to get back to everyday life. Just being able to hold my shopping bags and not drop them has made a huge difference.”