Clinical Edge

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Sensory Feedback May Smooth Walking With a Prosthetic Leg

Key clinical point: A prosthetic leg that produces the sensation of knee motion and the sole of the foot touching the ground may improve walking performance and reduce phantom limb pain.

Major finding: One participant walked 3.56 m/min faster and another walked 5.68 m/min faster when sensory feedback was provided.

Study details: A proof-of-concept study with two patients.

Disclosures: Grants from the European Research Council, European Commission, and Swiss National Science Foundation funded the research. Three authors, including one who spoke at a press conference, hold shares of SensArs Neuroprosthetics, a start-up company dealing with the commercialization of neurocontrolled artificial limbs.

Citation:

Petrini FM et al. Nat Med. 2019 Sep 9. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0567-3.