The National Centre for Training and Education in Prosthetics and Orthotics was established in 1972 with associated clinical facilities at Glasgow’s Southern General Hospital. The Centre’s interests in training, education and research span the fields of prosthetics, orthotics and related aspects of the provision of aids for people with disabilities.

Research equipment and facilities include a fully-instrumented gait laboratory, body-device interface pressure measurement equipment, and a respiratory gas analyser to measure energy consumption.

The Centre enjoys collaborative links with other clinical and research facilities in the UK and overseas.

The National Centre has excellent teaching facilities and offers a four-year BSc course in Prosthetics and Orthotics. It also offers an open-learning MSc course for practising professionals who do not wish to undertake full-time study.

The National Centre has a pivotal role in the Rehabilitation Technology Information Service (ReTIS), which is concerned with the collection of data on rehabilitation services in Scotland for benchmarking purposes, and the Scottish Physiotherapy Amputee Research Group (SPARG) which carries out research into physiotherapy treatment of amputees. The Department has a specialised library and is the home of the internationally-recognised RECAL Information Service.  

Research Profile

A number of projects are ongoing in the broad areas of :

Design and Evaluation of Prosthetic and Orthotic Devices

Analysis of Patient Activity and Performance

Measurement of Treatment Outcomes

The Department is undertaking projects in the following specific areas:

Transtibial Socket Design

Ultrasound Studies of Femoral Motion within Prosthetic Sockets

Performance of Reinforced Composites in Orthoses

Distortion of Thermoplastic Prosthetic Sockets during Manufacture

Motion of Prosthesis relative to Skeletal Structure during Walking and other Activities

AFO/Footwear Design for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Orthotic Management of the Diabetic Foot

Evaluation of CAD/CAM in Prosthetics and Orthotics

Evaluation and Use of a Sensor Socket for Amputees

KAFO Loading Patterns

Influence of Prosthetic Component Choice on Rehabilitation Outcome

Psychological Correlates associated with Prosthetic Use and Recovery following Amputation