Arkansas Orthotics Firm Licensed To Manufacture NASA-Designed Knee Brace For Stroke Victims

May 7, 1998

Horton's Orthotic Lab., Inc., of Little Rock, Ark., has signed a licensing agreement with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., to manufacture an innovative knee brace. This new brace is designed to offer freedom of movement to patients suffering from a wide variety of lower extremity weaknesses.

Michael Shadoan and Neill Myers, two of the inventors of the knee brace, aren't medical researchers or physicians. Rather, they are members of a five-person team of NASA engineerswho found a way to apply space technologies to help those recovering from strokes and injuries here on Earth.

The device, called the Selectively Lockable Knee Brace, will facilitate faster, less painful rehabilitation by allowing movement of the knee. Knee braces currently on the market lock the knee in a rigid, straight-leg position, or at a pre-set position of flexion or extension. "The new brace design helps patients who have a loss of muscle control from as high as the thigh because of a stroke or accident," said Shadoan.

"The Selectively Lockable Knee Brace allows the knee to function while supporting the leg," Myers added. "The brace may be used by a patient recovering from a knee injury when the patient needs to use the knee, but the knee cannot carry the full weight of the patient."

The upper part of the brace attaches around the thigh with the lower part secured by a stirrup around the shoe. "It works by allowing the knee to bend when weight is not on the heel," said Myers. "Once weight is placed on the heel, the knee brace locks into position."

Shadoan, Myers, and co-inventors John Forbes, Kevin Baker and Darron Rice worked for three years to design the prototype. Through the Technology Transfer Office at Marshall, these rocket engineers were able to apply space technologies to the development of a product needed on Earth. "The knee brace is a spin-off of technology used in developing propulsion systems at Marshall," said Shadoan. "Mechanisms and materials used in propulsion systems were applied to the design of the knee brace."

Field tests on the original design were conducted in 1996 and early this year. With the information the tests provided, the NASA team made adjustments to the brace and offered their design for commercial licensed production. Horton's Orthotic Lab, Inc., has been a partner in the tests and has signed the exclusive license agreement to manufacture the brace. Horton's Orthotic Lab will begin clinical trials soon.