SSMART: Smart Sock Manufactured for Amputee Rehabilitation and Comfort
Abstract
Objective and Rationale: The objective of the project is to develop a patient-friendly solution and test its efficacy to one of the most challenging problems faced by lower extremity amputees: daily volume changes of the residual limbs, which is even more problematic for new amputees recovering from injury and surgery. Such change is one of the most difficult challenges to overcome when fitting a socket to an amputee because the socket is made of rigid materials and has very little "give." This leads to a series of adverse conditions, such as pistoning (degree of motion in and out of the socket), skin abrasions, and lesions, causing discomfort and deteriorating limb health. Moreover, the situation is difficult to detect due to lack of suitable technology. This sometimes may cause delay in care and even more severe health conditions, which leads to higher care costs and patient suffering. The current prevailing care practice to address this problem is to use multiple ply socks of different thickness and add or remove them when limb contraction/expansion occurs. This is a cumbersome practice and requires the amputees to stop his/her daily activities, remove their residual limb from the socket, add or subtract volume compensation socks, and again don the socket/prosthetic assembly. To make matters even worse is that amputees do not have a good method to judge when and how many volume compensation socks need to be added or removed to achieve a comfortable fit. Ultimate Applicability of the Research: The solution developed in this project for volume change management (VCM) would be simple to use by the patients and function substantially better than any existing remedies. The solution is a line of smart prosthetic socks (called SSMART socks) based on a breakthrough smart material developed by us. The SSMART sock can automatically adjust its volume and shape in response to the residual limb change to always ensure proper fit. The sock is also extremely lightweight and has excellent cushioning capability for additional comfort and protection while allowing the freedom of limb movement. The SSMART sock will also have lightweight pressure sensors to monitor the pressure at the residual limb prosthesis interface. The efficacy of the SSMART sock will be evaluated by a selected group of amputee volunteers, and their feedback will be used to refine the technology and improve the SSMART sock performance. Benefits and Benefitted Population: The SMMART sock and its manufacturing technology would be revolutionary in transforming patient care for both above knee and below knee amputees, and accelerate the adoption of evidence-based practice. The SSMART sock eradicates the need for multiple ply socks and the annoying practices of applying/removing them, and takes out the guess work so that it always provide proper fit for comfort and dramatically reduces/eliminates the potential adverse conditions. Best of all, the SSMART sock accomplishes all these features by itself, without any effort from the patient. Furthermore, the integrated pressure sensor would provide feedback to both patient and care provider of vital information on the limb conditions, facilitating improving residual limb health and care quality. Potential Clinical Applications, Benefits and Risks: At the completion of the project, the SSMART sock technology would be ready for clinical translation, technology/product commercialization, and orthotics and prosthetics industry adoption. The technology will be mature with minimal risk, while providing patients and practitioners enormous benefit. Project Timeline: The project is expected to complete in 24 months. Benefit to Service Members and/or US Veterans as Well as Their Families, Caregivers and the General Public: The loss of a limb or limbs is among the worst traumatic and life-altering experiences and often results in unimaginable physical and psychological damage to our Service members and Ve
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 04, 2016
- Source ID
- W81XWH1510421
Entities
People
- Changchun Zeng
Organizations
- Florida State University
- United States Army