Musculoskeletal injury is a primary health concern for our military. The use of improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan has resulted in lower limb blast injuries becoming the signature wound for these operational conflicts. A critical step to ensuring that these prosthetic devices function seamlessly with the patient is the initial alignment process. During this key period, the patient often makes multiple appointments with a prosthetist to have the prosthetic device fabricated, with another series of required appointments for prosthetic fitting and alignment. The alignment process is often iterative and time consuming, and can be emotionally difficult and frustrating for the patient. 

A standardized method that provides a baseline for prosthetic alignment is required. The ideal method would enable the prosthetist to input known parameters and obtain a patient-specific baseline, from which the alignment can be finetuned. To accomplish this our team of researchers and engineers at IS4S and Auburn University will develop a system to streamline the prosthetic alignment process. Our system, the System for Prosthetic Alignment Utilizing Real-Time Kinematics (SPAURK), will deliver alignment data to the prosthetist in real-time during the patient’s alignment process. Ultimately, the SPAURK system will incorporate measured and derived information to provide the prosthetist an initial alignment that is grounded in fundamental biomechanics, yet tailored specifically to the individual patient. Having a recommended initial alignment will decrease the time spent during alignment, thus improve the fitting process for the patient and allow the prosthetist to focus more on the patient care as opposed to constant adjustment.