Andrew Sawer (Doctoral Student)
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
VA Center of Excellence for Limb Loss Prevention and Prosthetic
Engineering
E-mail: sawera@u.wa...
TITLE:
"Restoring Powered Movements
among Individuals with Lower Limb Loss: Insights from Gradual vs.
Sudden Training"
ABSTRACT
The physical rehabilitation of individuals with lower limb loss has
traditionally been guided by a device-driven paradigm. While recent
years have seen major advances in prosthetic technology, including
powered prosthetic feet which can restore propulsive ankle power to
physiological levels; little attention has been given to how
individuals with lower limb loss should be trained to use these
devices. Currently there are no established training strategies for
learning to use powered prostheses. A sensible starting point would be
to determine how powered movements should be restored; gradually or
suddenly? Research in this area may help alleviate locomotor
impairments and activity limitations that persist in spite of advances
in technology, expand the pool of candidates for powered prosthetic
devices beyond the small percentage who make up the most active portion
of the patient population, and aid in the development of training
algorithms for future powered rehabilitation devices.
This seminar will discuss results from two recent studies which
examined how motor learning and locomotor balance control are
influenced by a gradual vs. sudden introduction to novel locomotor
tasks. The first study examined the ability of adults without
impairments to learn a novel locomotor task and maintain balance
control following gradual vs. sudden training. Building upon these
results, the second study examined the ability of individuals with
transtibial limb loss to elicit and control physiological levels of
propulsive ankle power from a powered prosthetic foot following a
gradual or sudden restoration of that propulsive ankle power.