University of Washington researchers have developed the first adaptive socket, giving people with limb amputation a new level of freedom: “I can focus on my life.”
Many people might take for granted that they can run, play with their kids or pets, and move about without much thought. People with limb amputation, though, struggle with the comfort, fit and function of their prosthesis on a daily basis.
Researchers and prosthesis users know that maintaining a secure, comfortable fit has been notoriously tricky. Natural volume changes in the residual limb throughout the day often cause users to add or remove padding to tweak the fit after sitting, standing or moving.
“Very small changes in the size of a person’s residual limb change how the prosthesis feels,” explains Kate Allyn, a licensed certified prosthetist in Professor of Bioengineering Joan Sanders’ lab at the University of Washington (UW). “Over the day, the socket may become uncomfortable and cause pain, instability, compensatory strategies or injury to the user.”
Now, a team of UW bioengineers and clinicians led by Sanders has solved this problem: They’ve created a socket that automatically changes size as the user’s limb changes size.
