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Limb Loss Awareness

The Department of Defense is honored to serve over 63,000 beneficiaries with limb loss. The Defense Health Agency’s Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence is leading the way in advancing science and improving patient-centered care.

Health care providers are encouraged to learn about limb loss diagnosis and treatment protocols. Service members, veterans, and family members with limb loss are encouraged to discover tools and resources available.

LLAM Spotlight

Since 2001, the Department of Defense has cared for over 63,000 beneficiaries with some level of limb loss, including over 1,700 service members with deployment-related amputations. Of that number, over 400 service members have returned to duty thanks to advancements in military research and a holistic approach to patient care.

The Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence continues to facilitate the most advanced care for amputation in the United States. The establishment of three DOD Advanced Rehabilitation Centersgoes to Walter Reed website allows for eligible DOD and Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries to receive state-of-the-art treatment and care. These are teams of multidisciplinary providers dedicated to achieving a meaningful quality of life for their patients following amputation or limb dysfunction.

Advanced Rehabilitation Centers

DOD is home to three Advanced Rehabilitation Centers that cares for military beneficiaries of all ages and addresses the complex needs of individuals with severe limb disfunction, including amputation. At the centers, professionals work with beneficiaries and their health care teams to develop optimal care plans.

  • Physical medicine and rehabilitation
  • Physical, occupational, and recreational therapy
  • Orthotics and prosthetics
  • Behavioral health
  • Surgery (orthopedics, plastic, and urology)
  • Nursing
  • Pain management
  • Dermatology
  • Cardiology
  • Internal medicine
  • Primary care
  • Spiritual support
  • Nutrition care
  • Case management
  • Assistive technology
  • Biomedical engineering

Intrepid Battlefield Exoskeleton

The Intrepid Battlefield Exoskeleton, called IBEX, is an assistive device designed to stabilize an open tibia fracture and enables independent mobility on the battlefield. The IBEX is lightweight and unfolds out of a rucksack. It fits 95% of service members and will free team members from litter carry duties during mass casualty events.

The IBEX was one of four medical technologies tested and one of two evacuation systems tested during the U.S. Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment held February 2024 at Fort Moore, Georgia. Surveys taken by service members who wore the IBEX showed that the device was considered useful for a combat arms unit.

More information and demonstrations of the IBEX will take place at the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium.

DOD Policies

FileDate
Memorandum: Referral of Active Duty Service Members to an Advanced Rehabilitation Center12/14/2016
Memorandum: Reserve Component Members’ Referral to an Advanced Rehabilitation Center1/4/2018

Limb Loss Awareness Additional Information

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Last Updated: September 23, 2024
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