The objective of the proposed application is to make prosthetic limbs more comfortable for Service members who seek to return to active duty or engage in an active lifestyle. The rationale is that prosthetic issues experienced by Service members and Veterans with limb loss are often caused by socket fit problems. These individuals require prostheses that perform at extremely high levels of function, reliability, and durability to prevent failure in the field or tactical environment. Socket fit problems pose a significant limitation towards allowing Service members and Veterans to accomplish their high performance and return-to-duty objectives.

In this research, we will determine if microprocessor-adjusting sockets overcome socket fit problems experienced by Service members and Veterans with limb loss compared with user-adjusting and static sockets. Prosthesis users will wear each of the three socket configurations (microprocessor-adjusting, user-adjusting, static) in a return-to-duty assessment simulator reflecting military-relevant environments and duties. They will also undergo a military function test. The ultimate applicability of the proposed effort is to determine if and how users should incorporate adjustable socket technologies to achieve optimal health outcomes in their daily lives.

The patients the knowledge gained from this research will help the most are people who use prosthetic limbs and experience diurnal changes in socket fit. These people may experience fit changes because they recently had their leg amputation, because they live or work in a hot or humid environment that causes them to sweat and lose a lot of body water, or because they are very active. The system we have developed should work well on all of these individuals and help them and their prosthetists reduce prosthetic fit problems. The potential clinical benefit of this research is fewer injuries associated with socket fit issues, improved prosthetic fit and suspension, and improved performance and endurance for Service members, Veterans, and civilians using prosthetic limbs. The projected timeline to achieve the expected patient-related outcome is the time it takes to commercialize the technology, beyond the completion of the project. The risks are that possibly additional studies in other military test environments will be needed before microprocessor-adjusting sockets are ready for regular military use.

The proposed technology will benefit Service members, Veterans, and/or their family members by providing prosthetic sockets that help to reduce pain and enhance performance of people with limb loss under strenuous activity and harsh environmental conditions. Military personnel will spend less time wearing a sub-optimally fit prosthesis, allowing them to focus on their military objectives. Service members and Veterans will spend less time troubleshooting prosthetic fit issues and more quickly return to their desired life activities.