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.