Exoskeletons for Rapid Return to Duty After Tibial Stress Fracture
Abstract
Military duty involves high impact activities and carrying heavy loads that increases the risk of a Service member to develop a stress fracture in the tibia bone. Stress fractures in the tibia effect about 3100 Service members each year, and 40% of these individuals are separated from service. Treatment after a stress fracture can take several months to a year and typically involves the person to unweight the limb, allow it to heal, and then gradually start bearing more and more weight on it until the bone is able to fully heal. The Service member is not deployable during this time. Therefore, tibial stress fractures represent a significant thread to the readiness of our fighting force. To overcome this threat to military readiness, we will develop a dynamic brace to off-load the facture site while enabling the user to perform high impact activities associated with military service. This will shorten the period of rehabilitation, elevate the military standard of care for tibial stress fractures, enable a Service member to return to duty sooner, and maximize military readiness.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1179176
Entities
People
- W. L. Childers
Organizations
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine