Bone-anchored (osseointegrated) prostheses and hip arthritis after above-knee amputation
Official title: Effect of Osseointegrated Prostheses on the Pathogenesis of Hip Osteoarthritis in Patients with Lower Limb Loss
Funded at University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11241963 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares bone-anchored (osseointegrated) prostheses with traditional socket prostheses to understand their effects on hip arthritis in people with transfemoral (above-knee) amputations.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | March 3, 2023 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $127,378 |
| NIH project number | 5K01AR080776-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11241963 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with transfemoral (above-knee) amputation who currently use either an osseointegrated prosthesis or a traditional socket prosthesis and who can undergo MRI and attend baseline and 12-month visits are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with other amputation levels (e.g., below-knee), those not using a prosthesis, or individuals who cannot have MRI scans are unlikely to benefit from participating.
What this research studies
If you take part, you'll join either the group who uses a bone-anchored (osseointegrated) prosthesis or the group who uses a traditional socket prosthesis. The team will take detailed MRI scans of both hips at the start and again after 12 months to measure 3D hip muscle size and levels of fatty infiltration. Researchers will track changes in those muscle measurements and relate them to signs of hip osteoarthritis over a year. This approach looks at whether more natural load transfer from a bone-anchored implant helps protect the hip compared with a socket.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could show that osseointegrated prostheses reduce hip muscle wasting and slow development of hip osteoarthritis, helping preserve mobility and reduce pain.
How similar studies have gone: Osseointegration has shown promise for fixing socket-related problems, but its impact on hip osteoarthritis is not well studied, so this comparison is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Colorado Denver
Aurora, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gaffney, Brecca — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Gaffney, Brecca
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.