Military Amputee Research Program
American service members injured in Iraq have required more than twice the number of amputations needed in previous conflicts.
The Military Amputee Research Program (MARP) was established at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in 2005 to support research initiatives to advance amputee clinical patient care strategies and prosthetic technologies. In the last year, HJF developed an infrastructure to support, coordinate and implement multiple intramural research initiatives at WRAMC and other Army medical centers.
Improving Prosthetic Technologies and Rehabilitation Techniques
The goal of the intramural program is to support research that will optimize patient recovery after traumatic limb loss. Most patients want to return to their active lifestyles after recovery and continue to engage in activities such as running. Current prosthetic technologies are limited in this regard. With such a large group of young military personnel utilizing prosthetic devices, there is both a great need and an opportunity to conduct research that will lead to the development of more functional and comfortable prosthetic technologies and improved rehabilitation training strategies.
Research areas include comparison studies of various technologies and rehabilitation methods. A good prosthetic fit is critical to patient satisfaction. Researchers are thus investigating various types of socket designs and suspension systems. Other studies examine the differences in a patient’s functional performance when comparing the utility of mechanical versus electronically controlled prosthetic systems.
Treating "Phantom Limb" Pain—with Mirrors
Another focus of the work is on therapeutic techniques. In one study, a researcher at USU is studying ways to decrease what is known as "phantom limb" pain. The brain is accustomed to receiving signals based on the sensory cues provided by touch and sight. When both of these components are removed, as in the case of a missing limb, it is believed that the neurons in the brain continue to send out messages, which are interpreted as pain.
The researcher is using mirrors to create the illusion that the amputated limb has been restored. Asking the patient to move both the intact and the phantom limb while viewing its image in the mirror is thought to restore the missing visual cues to brain awareness. Early results show that this visual stimulation appears to help the brain "rewire" its circuitry to compensate for the signals it is no longer receiving, thus reducing pain. The team is testing different durations of this therapy, with the hope that they can provide an immediate benefit to help minimize patients’ pain.