Effects of a Powered Ankle-Foot Prosthesis and Physical Therapy on Function for Individuals With Transfemoral Limb Loss: Rationale, Design, and Protocol for a Multisite Clinical Trial.

Background: Powered ankle-foot prosthetic devices can generate net positive mechanical work during gait, which mimics the physiological ankle. However, gait deviations can persist in individuals with transfemoral limb loss because of habit or lack of rehabilitation. Prosthetic research efforts favor the design or evaluation of prosthetic componentry and rarely incorporate any type of rehabilitation, despite evidence suggesting that it is critical for minimizing gait imbalances.

Implementation of relative phase analysis to evaluate continuous interlimb coordination and stability in individuals with lower limb loss: Design and protocol for a retrospective analysis.

Introduction: The number of people with lower limb loss continues to grow, though most research to date has been non-committal and lacks the appropriate clinical guidance required for proper prosthetic prescription. Previous literature using traditional spatiotemporal and biomechanical measures has not accurately identified differences in gait patterns when using different prosthetic devices. Therefore, a knowledge gap remains.

Women with limb loss: rationale, design and protocol for a national, exploratory needs assessment to evaluate the unique physical and psychosocial needs of women with limb loss.

Introduction: There is a growing population of women with limb loss, yet limited research is available to provide evidentiary support for clinical decision-making in this demographic. As such, there is a critical gap in knowledge of evidence-based healthcare practices aimed to maximise the physical and psychosocial needs of women with limb loss. The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive, survey-based needs assessment to determine the unique impact of limb loss on women, including physical and psychosocial needs.

Criteria for Advanced Prosthetic Foot Prescription: Rationale, Design, and Protocol for a Multisite, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The prescription of prosthetic ankle-foot devices is often based on the professional judgment of the limb loss care team or limited evidentiary research. Current prosthetic research efforts have focused on the design and development of prosthetic devices rather than on understanding which devices are the most appropriate to prescribe. This investigation will evaluate biomechanical, functional, and subjective outcome measures to help determine the optimal prescription parameters of prosthetic ankle-foot devices.

Evaluation of Weight Shift and X-Factor During Golf Swing of Veterans With Lower Limb Loss.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the weight shift and X-Factor values of golfers with lower limb loss.

Design: Veterans with above or below knee limb loss participated in a 3-day adaptive golf event hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Professional golf instructors educated participants on proper golf swing mechanics, after which kinematic analysis of trunk rotation and kinetic analysis of weight transfer between the legs during the golf swing were evaluated using three-dimensional motion capture and force platforms.

Coordination of the upper and lower extremities during walking in children with cerebral palsy.

Background: Children with cerebral palsy indicate poor continuous gait inter-limb coordination compared to typically developing children. Limited research exists in the understanding of the coordinative relationship between the arms and legs of these children and if the phasing relationships between limbs can be improved.

Research Question: Which motor control factors impact coordination in children with cerebral palsy and can coordination improve with intervention?

Methods: This literature review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of continuous coordination in a pediatric, pathologic population with an emphasis on inter-limb coordination.

Continuous inter-limb coordination deficits in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy.

Background: Continuous inter-limb coordination and the ability to offset perturbations to a movement pattern (i.e., stability) are important factors in efficient motor performance.

Modulation of gait inter-limb coordination in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy after intensive upper extremity intervention.

Motor function difficulties associated with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP) impact gait inter-limb coordination between the upper and lower extremities. Two motor learning based, upper extremity treatments, Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) and Hand Arm Bimanual Therapy (HABIT), have resulted in improvements in coordination and function between the arms in children with USCP. However, no study has investigated whether coordination between the upper and lower extremities improves after either intervention during a functional task, such as walking.

Intensive upper- and lower-extremity training for children with bilateral cerebral palsy: a quasi-randomized trial.

Aim: An approach that simultaneously engages both the upper and lower extremities, hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy including lower extremity (HABIT-ILE), has recently demonstrated improvements in upper and lower extremities in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP). It is not known whether children with bilateral CP would benefit from this approach. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of HABIT-ILE in children with bilateral CP.

Evaluation of gait-related variables in lean and obese dogs at a trot.

Objective: To assess differences in sagittal plane joint kinematics and ground reaction forces between lean and obese adult dogs of similar sizes at 2 trotting velocities.

Animals: 16 adult dogs.

Procedures: Dogs with body condition score (BCS) of 8 or 9 (obese dogs; n = 8) and dogs with BCS of 4 or 5 (lean dogs; 8) on a 9-point scale were evaluated.