Predicting Fall Risk for People Using Lower-Limb Prostheses
Official title: Predictive Gait-Based Biomarkers for Fall Risk in Lower-Limb Prosthesis Users
Funded at Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago D/b/a Shirley Ryan Abilitylab · NIH-11181242 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to find better ways to predict who might fall among people who use lower-limb prostheses by studying their walking patterns.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago D/b/a Shirley Ryan Abilitylab NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 2, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $663,921 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD114776-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11181242 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this work would be individuals who use lower-limb prostheses.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not use lower-limb prostheses would not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Many people with lower-limb prostheses experience falls, which can lead to serious injuries, and current methods for predicting these falls are limited. This project will use advanced, markerless motion capture technology to analyze the walking patterns and movements of people with lower-limb prostheses. Researchers will compare this detailed gait information with traditional fall risk assessments to see if new, more accurate predictors can be found. The goal is to create a sensitive and specific fall screening method that can be easily used in clinics to help prevent falls.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a new, easy-to-use tool that helps healthcare providers identify and prevent falls in people with lower-limb prostheses.
How similar studies have gone: While gait analysis has been explored for fall screening, this project aims to develop a sensitive and specific protocol using markerless motion capture, which is a promising and evolving approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago D/b/a Shirley Ryan Abilitylab
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cotton, Ronald James — Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago D/b/a Shirley Ryan Abilitylab
- Study coordinator: Cotton, Ronald James
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Preventing Falls in Older Adults Using Floor Vibrations to Detect Falls and Gait Changes
A new approach aims to detect falls and gait changes in people aged 65 and older by analyzing floor vibrations, with the goal of preventing injuries and reducing fall-related costs.
-
Preventing injurious falls in older adults using floor vibration and gait monitoring
A floor-mounted vibration system aims to detect falls and changes in walking in older adults, including people with dementia, so help can arrive faster and injuries can be reduced.
-
Identifying fall risks in users of lower limb prosthetics through gait analysis
This study is looking to find better ways to predict fall risks for people using leg prosthetics by watching how they walk, so we can help keep them safe and prevent falls.
-
Gait speed from wearable sensors to guide ALS trials
A patient-friendly look at using wearable sensors to measure how fast people with ALS walk, to help run better ALS trials.
-
Movement-Enhanced Walking Training to Improve Balance After Stroke
A specialized treadmill training using a cable-driven device, called Movement Amplification Environment (MAE), helps people with chronic stroke improve walking balance by enhancing their own movement awareness.
-
SmartGait: a smartphone AI tool to predict fall risk for older adults
A smartphone app uses AI to analyze a simple gait test and predict when a person may fall, helping clinicians tailor prevention for older adults.
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.