Projects from 1998 Neurologic and Musculoskeletal Impairments

Individuals older than 65 represented just 4% of the US population 100 years ago. Now they represent 13% and in 30 years will represent 22% of the population. Neurologic and musculoskeletal impairments already impact the quality of life in the elderly greatly. Thus its impact will be even higher in the future.

Neurologic impairments, particularly stroke and spinal cord injury, are a major cause of movement-related disability. Approximately 500,000 Americans suffer strokes each year. Many are left with severe physical disabilities. The cost for treatment, rehabilitation, and care exceeds $20 billion per year. About 9,000 young Americans suffer spinal cord injuries each year and remain paralyzed for life. The total cost to society is greater than $7 billion per year for care and treatment alone, and much more in terms of lost productivity.

Two of the most common skeletal diseases in the elderly are arthritis and osteoporosis. The yearly cost in the US for treating arthritis alone exceeds $55 billion. These diseases and their effect on the quality of life of veterans motivate much of our research.

Our efforts target the development of new strategies and techniques for disease diagnosis, treatment and, ultimately, prevention. Our goal is to develop techniques that will enable persons with neurologic and musculoskeletal impairments to regain the use of their limbs. Our focus is on understanding the way in which the nerves, muscles, and skeletons of the healthy individual are coordinated to accomplish such everyday tasks as standing, walking, reaching, and grasping, and the ways in which this coordination is disrupted in persons with mobility impairments.

We believe that rehabilitation strategies of high impact will arise from scientific understanding of the underlying impairment. Our research includes, therefore, experimental and theoretical investigations of tissue properties and muscular coordination.

The development of new clinical therapeutic techniques requires, at times, the application of emerging technology to rehabilitation. Some problems encountered by individuals with disabilities can be solved with rehabilitation technology targeted for their everyday use.

Research Accomplishments

The Rehabilitation Research and Development Service (Rehab R&D) believes that the next century holds tremendous promise for clinical advances in rehabilitative care for veterans who suffer from disability or impairment. Progress made by researchers makes it possible to anticipate great strides in functional recovery and thus optimal independence for patients. An increasing arsenal of rehabilitative therapies that focus not only on adaptation but restoration is now a reasonable expectation.

Student Projects

Many of the Rehabilitation R&D Center's early successful projects began as student design team projects in the Mechanical Engineering Department of Stanford University. We have lately established similar relationships with the Industrial Engineering Department at California State University, San Jose. Students work on Rehab R&D Center-initiated projects which primarily fulfill an academic course requirement.

1996 Progress Reports

Brief abstracts, including figures, for projects active during the period 1995 - 1996.

1994 Progress Reports

Brief abstracts, including figures, for projects active during the period 1991 - 1994.