AAOS Praises Restoration of Federally Supported Orthopaedic Research

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As a leading voice in protecting and advancing musculoskeletal care, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) commends Congress' decision to restore funding to the Department of Defense's Peer Reviewed Orthopaedic Research Program (PRORP). Following a complete elimination of the program in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, the PRORP received $20 million for FY2026 as part of the broader Department of Defense appropriations passed by Congress on February 3.

Since its introduction in 2009, PRORP has delivered cutting-edge, short- and long-term healthcare solutions for injured warfighters and veterans. Many of these innovations are expanded to the broader public, bringing new care options to the civilian population at large.

"PRORP was designed to address one of the most widespread challenges faced by service members and veterans: extremity injuries. Today, it has blossomed into a competitive grant program that brings cutting-edge technologies to military and broader patient populations," said AAOS President Ned Amendola, MD, FAAOS, FRCSC, DABOS.

"AAOS applauds Congress' decision to restore PRORP funding to $20 million for FY2026. This vote not only safeguards access to state-of-the-art musculoskeletal care, but also protects the next generation of research for warfighters, veterans, and civilians. We look forward to our continued work with advocates and legislators to restore PRORP's historic funding and bring innovative treatments to patients."

Advancing care for warfighters, veterans, and more
To date, PRORP has funded more than 355 cutting-edge studies. The work of this program has advanced prosthetics, nonopioid pain management, and new ways to prevent orthopaedic injuries in the line of duty Extremity injuries account for approximately half of all injuries sustained during active service and can result in long-term disability or rehabilitation needs. Without programs like PRORP, critical gaps in biomedical research would continue to affect patients' quality of life.

Following cuts to the program in FY2025, AAOS and orthopaedic surgeons who are involved in this research sent letters, shared stories, and held key meetings with legislators on this critical funding stream for frontline research. AAOS will continue advocating for a full restoration of PRORP to improve warfighter readiness and outcomes and increase access to high quality musculoskeletal care.

About AAOS 
The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Office of Government Relations promotes and advocates the viewpoint of the orthopaedic community before federal and state legislative, regulatory and executive agencies. Based in Washington, D.C., with additional staff in the AAOS' headquarters in Rosemont, Illinois, the Office of Government Relations identifies, analyzes and directs all health policy activities and initiatives to position the AAOS as the trusted leaders in advancing musculoskeletal health.

For more information on all AAOS advocacy efforts, visit https://www.aaos.org/advocacy/, and follow AAOS Advocacy on X and LinkedIn.

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SOURCE American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons