More than 490,000 Americans fracture their tibia each year, resulting in significant healthcare costs with over 569,000 hospital stays and 800,000 physician office visits. Vanderbilt University has been awarded a new NIH grant worth $2.7 million to develop a wearable technology system aimed at improving the recovery process for individuals with leg fractures. Central to this forward-thinking initiative are Moticon’s wireless sensor insoles, which continuously capture real-time foot-pressure data and gait information in authentic, everyday conditions.
By partnering with Moticon, Vanderbilt not only gains a powerful data collection tool but also sets the stage for improved patient outcomes in orthopaedic care — aligning with the NIH grant’s mission to elevate the standard of rehabilitation for those recovering from serious leg injuries.
The study is a collaboration between Vanderbilt’s Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology and the Biomotion Laboratory at the University of Kentucky, directed by Brian Noehren. Zelik said the future of rehabilitation healthcare requires new tools that can help patients and doctors to monitor and manage loading on bones and other tissues inside the body, especially in the weeks following surgery. “That’s what we’re developing, a new class of wearable technology to enable remote monitoring of musculoskeletal loading, which can accelerate patient recovery and improve long-term health outcomes,” he added.
Because Moticon’s insoles are fully wireless and come without bulky equipment, patients can move freely during their daily activities while the technology tracks load distribution, balance, and step patterns. These real-time insights give clinicians a clearer understanding of how leg fractures heal outside of a traditional lab setting, ultimately helping to refine rehabilitation strategies and speed up recovery times.
The collaborative effort underscores the growing importance of accurate, user-friendly wearable solutions for both clinical and research purposes and underscores the dedication of both Vanderbilt and Moticon to driving innovation and better patient outcomes.