An Automatically Adjusting Dynamic Orthosis to Enhance Performance of Warfighters with Lower Limb Injury
Abstract
The research in this application addresses the RESTORE Focus Area, “Optimization of Warfighter Performance Following Limb Trauma or Loss.” The rationale of this application is that Warfighters experience injuries during combat, particularly to the lower limbs, that, after surgical reconstruction, may still limit their capability to return to duty. The objective is to create and test a technology to improve over current treatment strategies injured Warfighters’ maximum running speed, running endurance, as well as maneuverability during non-running activities. The aims are to design an adjustable-stiffness dynamic brace to accomplish these objectives. Initially, the brace is adjusted using a mobile phone app while the person wearing the brace runs and walks. From the knowledge gained during those experiments, we design an automatically adjusting dynamic brace that has sensors, a small motor, and a small computer within it to make adjustments without distracting the user. Appropriate adjustments are made in real time according to what the user is doing. The automatically adjusting dynamic brace is tested both in the laboratory and in 4-week home studies, and its performance compared with results from wearing a traditional dynamic brace. The types of patients this research will help are people who have had a lower limb injury and surgical reconstruction and want to return to vigorous activity and a high level of function and performance. This research will help them do that by creating an automatically adjusting dynamic brace. The brace adjusts to the wearer’s running speed so that it maximizes the remaining capabilities of the lower limb. It allows users to run at their highest speed possible for the longest possible duration. During low activity, the brace adjusts to enhance maneuverability and ease walking, while at the same time reducing the risk of joint strain and long-term injury. The potential clinical applications of this research are to Warfighters seeking a high-level return to duty, Veterans seeking vigorous activity to improve their civilian quality of life, and members of the general public seeking involvement in physically challenging or athletic activities that for them were not previously possible. The potential benefits are a higher activity classification for employment and redeployment, better integration and more participation in the community after leaving military Service, and the attitude that recovery from severe injury is possible. The potential risks are that the settings in the automatic adjustment algorithms may need to be adjusted over time as users improve their physical condition, requiring clinical visits. More frequent replacement of energy storage and return components on the orthosis may be necessary from the increased use. If the proposed project is successful, then the projected time should be relatively short to achieve a patient-related outcome on returning Warfighters to combat readiness and/or restoring their highest levels of function, performance, and quality of life following neuromusculoskeletal injury. The functional prototypes created here would need to be turned into an easy-to-manufacture, durable commercial product. An experienced high-quality team with industry experience in mechanical design and control systems in related technologies could accomplish this within as little as 2 years.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 10, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2010908
Entities
People
- Joan E Sanders
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Washington