Adjustable Prosthetic Sockets and the Future of Prosthetic Care at AOPA 2026

Every year, the orthotics and prosthetics community gathers at the AOPA National Assembly to share research, introduce new prosthetic technology, and discuss what patients and practitioners need. At AOPA 2026, many of those conversations focused on adjustable prosthetic sockets, residual limb volume management, and the future of prosthetic socket fit.

Sydney, Oleksiy and Ed represented Vessl at this year’s event, connecting with the O&P community and sharing Kinn with attendees. We returned with new relationships, valuable questions, and an even clearer understanding of where prosthetic care is heading. More importantly, we left thinking about the people shaping that future and how technology like Kinn can support their work.

Why Adjustable Prosthetic Sockets Matter for Residual Limb Volume Management

One of the most memorable moments for our team was seeing the turnout for Oleksiy’s workshop. The room filled quickly, and questions continued well beyond the scheduled time.

Prosthetists wanted to discuss the everyday realities of prosthetic socket fit. How does residual limb volume change throughout the day? Why does prosthetic sock management remain such a common solution? What does an adjustable prosthetic socket need to offer before a clinician feels confident introducing it into practice?

These were practical questions grounded in patient care. For people living with amputation, daily residual limb volume changes can affect socket comfort, stability, and confidence throughout the day. Prosthetists are actively looking for better ways to manage these changes while maintaining control over the fit they establish for each patient.

The level of interest at AOPA showed us that adjustable prosthetic sockets are no longer a conversation about what might be possible one day. Clinicians are evaluating these technologies now and asking thoughtful questions about how they perform, how they fit into clinical practice, and how they can support better prosthetic socket fit.

Building Confidence in New Prosthetic Technology

We also heard encouraging conversations about reimbursement and testing across the adjustable prosthetic socket space. Both are important for building clinical confidence and helping clinics evaluate new prosthetic technology thoughtfully.

A new device must do more than demonstrate an interesting idea. It needs to perform consistently, support the needs of the patient, and fit realistically into the clinician’s existing process. Clear reimbursement pathways also matter when clinics are deciding whether a technology can become a sustainable part of their practice.

Testing is another important part of that trust. Automatic volume management systems must demonstrate that they can perform repeatedly and reliably over time. Seeing greater attention given to testing, reimbursement, and clinical adoption is a positive sign for everyone working to improve residual limb volume management.

The Most Meaningful Conversations Happened Between Sessions

Some of the most valuable moments at the AOPA National Assembly happened away from the formal presentations. Conversations at our booth and throughout the conference gave us the opportunity to hear directly from prosthetists, researchers, business leaders, and others working to improve orthotics and prosthetics care.

A common theme emerged from many of those conversations. Progress in O&P is often measured through new materials, digital systems, documentation tools, and approaches to prosthetic socket design. These advances matter, but they should continue supporting the human side of care.

Craftsmanship, thoughtful clinical judgment, patient education, and the relationship between a prosthetist and their patient are not ideas the profession should outgrow. They are the foundation that every new tool should be designed to strengthen.

For us, that means automatic volume management should not replace the prosthetist’s expertise or control.  Kinn advances how residual limb volume changes are managed by bringing automatic adjustment into the socket, supporting a more comfortable, consistent fit throughout the day within the limits set by the prosthetist. 

Mentorship Should Move in Both Directions

During the Women in O&P panel, Sydney joined a thoughtful conversation about mentorship, leadership, and the barriers facing women and early career professionals in the profession.

One idea stayed with us: mentorship is most valuable when both people are open to learning. Experienced professionals carry clinical judgment, industry knowledge, and context that can only develop over time. Newer professionals bring fresh perspectives, comfort with emerging technology, and questions that can encourage established practices to evolve.

The strongest teams make room for both. They create opportunities for people to share what they know, ask questions without hesitation, and receive credit for the ideas and work they contribute.

This matters as the expectations placed on early career professionals continue to grow. Today, someone entering O&P may be expected to understand patient care, reimbursement, prosthetic technology, documentation, and business operations within the first few years of their career.

That is a significant amount to navigate without the right support. Mentorship cannot remove every challenge, but it can give people a trusted place to ask questions, build confidence, and better understand the different parts of the profession.

What AOPA 2026 Taught Us About the Future of Prosthetic Care

We are grateful to everyone who visited Booth 1123, attended our workshop, or took the time to share what is and is not working in their daily practice. Every question about prosthetic socket comfort, gait, residual limb volume management, and clinical workflow helps us think more carefully about Kinn and where it needs to go next.

We are equally grateful for the conversations about mentorship, leadership, and the future of the profession. These discussions may not appear directly on a product roadmap, but they influence how teams work together and the kind of companies we build.

AOPA 2026 reminded us that the future of prosthetic care will not be shaped by technology alone. It will also be shaped by how well the O&P community supports its people, shares knowledge, protects the human side of care, and keeps patient needs at the centre of innovation.

Kinn was created to bring something fundamentally new to prosthetic care: automatic socket volume adjustment. As the first system of its kind to use walking to automatically adjust socket volume, Kinn responds to changes in fit throughout the day while keeping the prosthetist in control of the setting. This shifts volume management from something an amputee must always recognize and initiate to an active part of how the socket supports fit. 

Thank you to the AOPA team and to everyone who made this year’s event so meaningful. We are already looking forward to continuing these conversations.

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