Walking Machine May Help Brain Injured Vets

Our military service members face risks that most of us can’t imagine. Active duty members are at risk from blast exposures, increasing the chances of suffering a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury. Even veterans and reserve duty members are at higher risk of sustaining these types of injuries because of their service. SoldierStrong is a non-profit that is working to help service members with these types of injuries.

Psychological effects of brain and spine injuries

While the effects of brain and spine injuries vary depending on severity, they often negatively impact psychological and emotional health. Major injuries can affect normal movement and facial expressions, making social interaction difficult and creating feelings of self-doubt, depression, and isolation.

SoldierStrong is dedicated to helping veterans overcome their injuries, both physical and psychological. From their website:

“We are at the intersection of next-generation American made medical device technology and the realities of the modern battlefield. By utilizing state-of-the-art bionic exoskeleton suits and the latest in robotic prosthetics, we are able to provide spinal cord injured and limb-injured veterans with the tools that have revolutionized the physical life enhancement and rehabilitation process once only imagined.”

This ambitious program has recently provided the Denver, CO VA with a free exoskeleton suit to examine the psychological effects of enabling paralyzed vets to walk again. The computer-driven assistive walking device can cost up to $188,000. The first subject was Army Sgt. Dan Rose, who was paralyzed from the chest down five years ago in Afghanistan during a bomb explosion.

Helping paralyzed veterans walk again

After being outfitted with the exoskeleton, Rose stood up from his wheelchair for the first time since his accident and walked across the room. He told the Denver Post, “It was crazy. Seeing people in the eye instead of the belly button. It was awesome.”

The VA office is planning a study to evaluate the psychological benefits of the device. The plan includes 30 veterans that are currently wheelchair-bound, and the VA hopes to have data by this summer about the psychological benefits of the program.

We at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC support all research efforts to benefit our active and veteran service members. Contact us today for more information.