Helping Veterans with Amputations or Spinal Cord Injuries Stay Active and Connected
Rehabilitation & Engineering Center for Optimizing Veteran Engagement & Reintegration (RECOVER)
This program develops and tries out practical rehabilitation approaches and technologies to help Veterans with amputations or spinal cord injuries stay involved in everyday life as they age.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Minneapolis VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11308639 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you're a Veteran with an amputation or a spinal cord injury, this center works to remove barriers that keep you from doing the things you want and need to do. The team talks with Veterans over time to learn what helps or blocks participation, and uses those findings to guide new therapies, devices, and clinical practices. They focus especially on controlling pain, managing secondary complications, and adapting supports as Veterans get older. The center will pilot and translate promising rehab technologies and interventions into VA clinical settings.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are Veterans with limb amputation or spinal cord injury who experience limits in daily activities, pain, or changes related to aging and are willing to take part in VA-based research and follow-up.
Not a fit: People who are not Veterans or who do not have an amputation or spinal cord injury, or those whose needs are unrelated to participation, pain, or aging effects, are unlikely to benefit directly from this center's programs.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help Veterans maintain independence, reduce pain and complications, and stay engaged in meaningful daily roles.
How similar studies have performed: Previous rehab studies and assistive-device trials have shown benefits for mobility and function, but RECOVER's integrated, long-term focus on participation, pain management, and aging in Veterans is a newer, more comprehensive approach.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- Minneapolis VA Medical Center — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hansen, Andrew H. — Minneapolis VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Hansen, Andrew H.
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 below.