A new study at Virginia Commonwealth University is focusing on ways to improve the understanding of a prosthesis user’s mobility.
Benjamin Darter, Ph.D., an associate professor in the VCU College of Health Professions’ Department of Physical Therapy, received a $1.97 million grant in 2021 from the U.S. Department of Defense for his four-year project titled “Exploring the Impact of Microprocessor-Controlled Knees on Prosthesis Awareness and Overall Health.” The project will ultimately implement a newly developed measure of prosthesis awareness to further explain the clinical benefits of microprocessor-controlled knees.
Darter is collaborating with the University of Washington and the Hanger Institute for Clinical Research and Education to develop a measure assessing how much individuals with lower limb amputation need to “pay attention” to their prosthetic limb during activity. The project will also study how the need to pay attention changes when a person uses a prosthesis with a microprocessor-controlled knee.
Read more at: https://news.vcu.edu/article/2022/01/vcu-study-to-develop-new-measure-of-prosthesis-awareness-in-individuals-with-lower-limb-loss