Project Title:
Dynamic Corrective Force Device: A Balance Measure for Amputees

Summary:
The loss of balance is a significant problem for those who have undergone lower-limb amputations. Studies have shown that 52.4% of lower-extremity amputees have reported falling in the previous year, and 66% of above-knee amputees report falling annually, which is twice the rate of able-bodied adults over the age of 65. Given this, it’s important to select the most appropriate components for each prosthetic device to maximize function while optimizing balance and stability to ultimately reduce the patient’s risk of falls. Therefore, we are developing a tool to provide quantitative measures of balance to the clinician to aid in the selection of prosthetic feet and other components to optimize a patient’s stability and functional needs.

Publications

Funding:
The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler St, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office.  This work is supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs under award number W81XWH-15-1-0542 through the Orthotics and Prosthetic Outcomes Research Program.  Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.

Completed

Open Source Data

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LTI is actively recruiting patients of all amputation levels for research studies. If you’re living with limb loss and want to help advance the technology available, we’d love to connect!