Alena Grabowski (in back) at work in the state-of-the-art “gait laboratory” at the University of Colorado.
A man running across the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus wearing a leg prosthesis was featured on a poster for National Veteran Affairs Research Week, May 19-23, 2014. The week was intended to raise awareness about the role researchers play in providing health care for veterans, including Colorado University researcher Alena Grabowski, whose applied biomechanics lab analyzes and helps develop belowthe knee prostheses for active people.
Grabowski, the daughter of Ed and Kathy Bolstad, of Grand Marais, works with the veteran (who chose not to be identified). His jog across the CU campus was warmup for a study in Grabowski’s lab.
The man was wearing a running prosthesis, made by the company Ossur, that’s known as a Flex-Foot Cheetah. They’re the same type of prostheses worn by Olympian Oscar Pistorius.
Grabowski said it was “fantastic” that the VA selected one of the photographs she submitted for its poster. The campaign helps bring attention to the work of labs like hers, which is supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense for several projects.
Grabowski has developed a state-of-the-art “gait laboratory,” complete with a dual-belt treadmill, high-speed treadmill, eight-camera motion analysis system, metabolic analysis machines, two powered ankle-foot prostheses and 60 running-specific prostheses.
The ankle-foot prostheses are called BiOMs, which help restore near-normal walking conditions for people with lower limb amputations.
“We’re trying to use information that we know about how non-amputees walk up and down hills to inform this new power prosthesis so that it can effectively emulate the ankle on uphill and downhill slopes,” she said.
Grabowski, who is a trail runner herself, said she got into research on prostheses because she couldn’t imagine letting a day go by without being able to go on a run.
“In my pursuit of understanding how we run, I got turned onto prosthetics and how we can make them better devices to allow people to run and move,” she said.
Though the Veterans Affairs Department has come under fire lately for long wait times at hospitals and care centers nationally, Grabowski said the work researchers are doing on prostheses can help cut down on health care costs for veterans in the future.
Veterans who can run, walk and exercise will, in theory, be healthier throughout their lifetimes, she said.
“If you can restore function early on, you can save money later,” she said. “The VA invests money into research that can help these people function and help their overall health care through their lifetime.”
For more on this story, contact Camera Staff Writer Sarah Kuta at 303-473-1106 or kutas@dailycamera.com.
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