The effect of impaired unilateral ankle propulsion on contralateral knee joint loading.

Background: Impairments in unilateral ankle propulsion may result from restriction by an external device or pathology such as lower limb amputation. Models of gait suggest this reduction may lead to increased collisional force on the contralateral side, potentially increasing force through the knee and increasing the risk of knee pain or osteoarthritis.

Research Question: How do restrictions in unilateral ankle propulsive force affect contralateral knee joint loading in otherwise healthy individuals?

Methods: 18 individuals without impairment walked on a treadmill at 1.

Effect of Strength and Plyometric Training on Kinematics in Female Novice Runners.

Harrison, K, Williams, DSB III, Darter, BJ, Zernicke, RF, Shall, M, and Finucane, S. Effect of strength and plyometric training on kinematics in female novice runners. J Strength Cond Res 38(6): 1048-1055, 2024-Both running performance and injury have been associated with running kinematics.

Changes in frontal plane kinematics over 12-months in individuals with the Percutaneous Osseointegrated Prosthesis (POP).

Background: A bone-anchored prosthesis (BAP) eliminates the need for a conventional socket by attaching a prosthesis directly to the user's skeleton. Currently, limited research addresses changes in gait mechanics post BAP implantation.

Objective: Examine changes in frontal plane movement patterns after BAP implantation.

Current Life Experiences in Veterans with Limb Loss: A Description of Survey Methods and Summary Results.

Purpose: To present the methods and summary findings of a nationwide survey on the current life experiences of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans with limb loss.

Methods: A questionnaire was sent to Veterans with items covering sample demographics, summaries of health status, prosthesis usage and fit, employment experience, and use and satisfactions with support services and providers.

Results: 158 Veterans completed the survey.

Disparities in functional recovery after dysvascular lower limb amputation are associated with employment status and self-efficacy.

Purpose: Employment status is considered a determinant of health, yet returning to work is frequently a challenge after lower limb amputation. No studies have documented if working after lower limb amputation is associated with functional recovery. The study's purpose was to examine the influence of full-time employment on functioning after lower limb amputation.

Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom: Employment Status Following Traumatic Amputation.

Purpose: The population of veterans experiencing traumatic amputation grows at a rate disproportionate to the general population. This study explores the current employment experience of veterans living with traumatic amputation and the relationship among demographic, health and amputation related characteristics, employment status and service utilization, and perceived barriers to employment.

Methods: Survey data from veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) were gathered on health and amputation, employment, service utilization, and perceived barriers to employment.

The Running Readiness Scale as an Assessment of Kinematics Related to Knee Injury in Novice Female Runners.

Context: Frontal- and transverse-plane kinematics have been prospectively identified as risk factors for running-related injuries in females. The Running Readiness Scale (RRS) may allow for clinical evaluation of these kinematics.

Objectives: To determine the reliability and validity of the RRS as an assessment of frontal- and transverse-plane running kinematics.

Assessing the effects of gait asymmetry: Using a split-belt treadmill walking protocol to change step length and peak knee joint contact force symmetry.

Asymmetrical gait may affect important outcomes such as knee joint contact force (KJCF). A split-belt treadmill (SBTM) can be used to provoke changes in step length symmetry (SLsym) and may produce a similar response in KJCF symmetry (KJCFsym) between limbs. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of employing a SBTM walking paradigm to alter KJCF and KJCFsym and to determine if changes in SLsym coincided with changes in KJCFsym.

Comparison of Frontal and Transverse Plane Kinematics Related to Knee Injury in Novice Versus Experienced Female Runners.

Novice runners experience a higher incidence of knee injury than experienced runners, which may be related to aberrant frontal and transverse plane kinematics. However, differences in kinematics between novice and experienced runners have not been fully explored. For this study, 10 novice and 10 experienced female runners ran on a treadmill at 2.

Accuracy and precision of a wrist movement when vibrotactile prompts inform movement speed.

This study investigated the effect of movement speed on task accuracy and precision when participants were provided temporally oriented vibrotactile prompts. Participants recreated a simple wrist flexion/extension movement at fast and slow speeds based on target patterns conveyed via vibrating motors affixed to the forearm. Each participant was given five performance-blinded trials to complete the task at each speed.

The Relationship Between Gait Symmetry and Metabolic Demand in Individuals With Unilateral Transfemoral Amputation: A Preliminary Study.

Introduction: Temporal-spatial symmetry allows for optimal metabolic economy in unimpaired human gait. The gait of individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation is characterized by temporal-spatial asymmetries and greater metabolic energy expenditure. The objective of this study was to determine whether temporal-spatial asymmetries account for greater metabolic energy expenditure in individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation.

Dynamic stability during split-belt walking and the relationship with step length symmetry.

Introduction: Walking instability is a contributor to falls and other undesired changes in walking performance. We investigated the effect of split-belt treadmill based perturbations on dynamic stability. Furthermore, we examined the relationships for dynamic stability and symmetry during unperturbed and perturbed walking.

Factors Influencing Functional Outcomes and Return-to-Work After Amputation: A Review of the Literature.

Purpose Amputation is a life changing event that can significantly impact an individual's physical and mental well-being. Our objective was to review literature exploring the impact of amputation upon a person's functioning and inclusion in the workplace. Methods Medline, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched using keywords related to amputation, employment and community reintegration.

Gait and Functional Outcomes for Young, Active Males With Traumatic Unilateral Transfemoral Limb Loss.

Objective: Altered body structures that occur with the loss of a lower limb can impact mobility and quality of life. Specifically, biomechanical changes that result from wearing a prosthesis have been associated with an increased risk of falls or joint degeneration, as well as increased energy demands. While previous studies describing these outcomes are typically limited by number of outcome measures and/or small, diverse patient groups, recent military conflicts present a unique opportunity to collect outcomes from a relatively homogenous, active patient population with limb loss.

Locomotor adaptability in persons with unilateral transtibial amputation.

Background: Locomotor adaptation enables walkers to modify strategies when faced with challenging walking conditions. While a variety of neurological injuries can impair locomotor adaptability, the effect of a lower extremity amputation on adaptability is poorly understood.

Objective: Determine if locomotor adaptability is impaired in persons with unilateral transtibial amputation (TTA).

Can real-time visual feedback during gait retraining reduce metabolic demand for individuals with transtibial amputation?

The metabolic demand of walking generally increases following lower extremity amputation. This study used real-time visual feedback to modify biomechanical factors linked to an elevated metabolic demand of walking in individuals with transtibial amputation. Eight persons with unilateral, traumatic transtibial amputation and 8 uninjured controls participated.

Biomechanical measures in participants with shoulder pain: Intra-rater reliability.

Biomechanical measures are used to characterize the mechanisms of treatment for shoulder pain. The objective was to characterize test-retest reliability and measurement error of shoulder surface electromyographic(sEMG) and kinematic measures. Individuals(n = 12) with subacromial pain syndrome were tested at 2 visits.

Axial bone-socket displacement for persons with a traumatic transtibial amputation: The effect of elevated vacuum suspension at progressive body-weight loads.

Background: Elevated vacuum suspension systems use a pump to draw air from the socket with the intent of reducing bone-socket motion as compared to passive suction systems. However, it remains unknown if elevated vacuum suspension systems decrease limb displacement uniformly during transitions from unloaded to full-body-weight support.

Objectives: To compare limb-socket motion between elevated vacuum and passive suction suspension sockets using a controlled loading paradigm.

Assessing preparative gait adaptations in persons with transtibial amputation in response to repeated medial-lateral perturbations.

Preventing loss of balance in individuals with transtibial amputation is important, as they are susceptible to a high frequency of fall related injuries. In order to validate fall prevention and balance therapies, methods to assess gait stability must be developed. Kinematic, temporal-spatial, and center of mass data from six healthy young participants with transtibial amputation were collected during treadmill walking during exposure to 10 randomly ordered discrete medial-lateral perturbations.

Home-based treadmill training to improve gait performance in persons with a chronic transfemoral amputation.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of a home-based multiple-speed treadmill training program to improve gait performance in persons with a transfemoral amputation (TFA).

Design: Repeated measures.

Setting: Research laboratory.

Test-retest reliability and minimum detectable change using the K4b2: oxygen consumption, gait efficiency, and heart rate for healthy adults during submaximal walking.

Purpose: Oxygen consumption (VO2; mLO2/kg/min), gait efficiency (GE; mlO2/kg/m) and heart rate (HR; beats per minute) are measures of physiological gait performance. However, the collection device, procedures for data normalization, and biological factors can affect measurement variability. The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability and minimum detectable change (MDC) for VO2, GE, and HR with the K4b2 at submaximal walking speeds in healthy young adults.

Energetic consequences of using a prosthesis with adaptive ankle motion during slope walking in persons with a transtibial amputation.

Background: Technological advances in prosthetic design include the use of microprocessors that adapt device performance based on user motion. The Proprio ankle unit prepositions the foot to adjust for walking on slopes and increases foot clearance during swing to minimize gait deviations.

Study Design: Comparative analysis.

Comparison of walking overground and in a Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) in individuals with and without transtibial amputation.

Background: Due to increased interest in treadmill gait training, recent research has focused on the similarities and differences between treadmill and overground walking. Most of these studies have tested healthy, young subjects rather than impaired populations that might benefit from such training. These studies also do not include optic flow, which may change how the individuals integrate sensory information when walking on a treadmill.

Physical performance assessment in military service members.

Few established measures allow effective quantification of physical performance in severely injured service members. We sought to establish preliminary normative data in 180 healthy, active-duty service members for physical performance measures that can be readily implemented in a clinical setting. Interrater and test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) values were also determined.