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Regaining a sense of touch

HPRC Fitness Arena: Environment, Total Force Fitness
Filed under: Prosthetic limbs
Prosthetic arms are becoming more sophisticated—improving the quality of life for individuals with missing upper limbs. The only thing lacking is a sense of touch, but perhaps not for long.

Prosthetic limbs have come a long way in a short amount of time, mostly because of the number of service members coming back from deployments with traumatic injuries and with the demand for better technology. Advancements in prosthetic arms now include devices that can move and bend individual fingers and joints. However, a sense of touch is one remaining obstacle—but one that researchers are close to conquering.

Many patients with arm prosthetics describe the difficulty with grabbing objects because there is no feedback to the brain. For example, breaking dishes, bruising fruit by grabbing it too hard, and dropping slippery cans are all too likely without any sense of feeling in the hand.

Researchers are now developing a prosthetic limb—called the Modular Prosthetic Limb—that will close the loop between the brain and the prosthetic hand by adding various sensors to contact points such as the fingertips and joints. This will allow sensory feedback to the brain that gives the user enough “feeling” to distinguish between a wool sweater and a cold beverage, for example.

The Department of Defense is working with various universities such as Johns Hopkins and the University of Pittsburgh to develop this unique device and make it available to wounded warriors.

Breaking down some mind traps

HPRC Fitness Arena: Total Force Fitness
Filed under: Mind, Mind tactics, Mood

Does your mind ever get in the way of you being your best? Are your thoughts stuck in a negative rut? Do you wish you knew a strategy for trying to get yourself out of these “thinking traps” that we all fall victim to every now and then?  Check out HPRC’s downloadable card—Change Your Mind for Peak Performance—which highlights some common mind traps and learn about one strategy that may help.


DoD’s DMAA report




Injury Prevention Part 1 – The Knee

Knee injuries are common in the military. Follow these prevention tips to keep your knees healthy.


Weight management is also important in preventing some knee injuries. Excess body weight only adds stress to the knees during weight bearing activities, like walking, running or jumping.

Another key to prevention is listening to your body. If you feel that minor symptoms are getting worse, it might be a good time to temporarily modify your training until symptoms subside. For example, if running is part of your cardiovascular routine, consider trying a few weeks of alternate activities that are less stressful on the joints such as swimming or biking.

Grapefruit and Drugs: A sour combination?

HPRC Fitness Arena: Nutrition, Total Force Fitness
Grapefruit and grapefruit-containing products can interfere with how your body breaks down some drugs.

Grapefruit is a tropical fruit known for its lip-puckering flavor. It contains vitamin C and many other nutrients and is a regular feature at the breakfast table. Grapefruit and its extracts also show up as flavoring agents in beverages and are sometimes added to dietary supplements.

Despite its many health benefits, grapefruit can pose a risk for people taking certain drugs. That’s because grapefruit can affect the way drugs are broken down or transported in the body—potentially increasing or decreasing the drugs’ effectiveness.

If you enjoy eating grapefruit or grapefruit-containing products, be aware of potential interactions when taking medication. If you take prescription or over-the-counter drugs, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you should avoid grapefruit. This consumer update from the Food and Drug Administration has more information.

Keep your guard up: Fight identity theft

Identity theft costs time, effort, and peace of mind. Learn more about how to guard your personal identity and possessions from thieves.

Identity theft is a serious crime that can completely disrupt your life through credit card charges and ruined credit history if the theft is not caught quickly. So, what is identity theft? It’s what happens when someone assumes your identity by using your personal information or property—typically your Social Security number or credit cards—without your permission. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are three general types of incidents:

  1. Unauthorized use or attempted use of existing credit cards
  2. Unauthorized use or attempted use of checking accounts
  3. Unauthorized use or attempted use of personal information to get credit cards, accounts, or loans or to commit other crimes

Homes unoccupied for extended periods may be goldmines for thieves to dig through trashcans, dumpsters, or storage areas at homes or apartment buildings for documents with useful pieces of information. Or it may be as easy as stealing a credit card from your mailbox or directly from your wallet.

When getting ready for deployments, you can place an active duty alert on your credit reports that lasts for one calendar year. For more information and tips, review the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handout for Warfighters and their families.

Is wicking apparel as “cool” as you think?





Exercise before sleep?

HPRC Fitness Arena: Total Force Fitness
Filed under: Exercise, Sleep


FDA warning: Illegal diabetes products




Don’t pass the salt!

HPRC Fitness Arena: Nutrition, Total Force Fitness
Filed under: Diet, Nutrition, Sodium









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