The effect of prosthetic foot stiffness category on intact limb knee loading associated with osteoarthritis in people with transtibial amputation.

Lower limb prosthesis users are at an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis in their intact knee. There is a scarcity of literature examining how the stiffness properties of commercially available prosthetic feet impact gait mechanics, including knee loading biomechanical variables that have been associated with the development of osteoarthritis. This study aimed to isolate the effect of commercial prosthetic foot stiffness on intact knee loading, prosthetic foot-ankle biomechanics, and user perception.

Peripheral neuropathy prevalence and effect on mobility 12 months after prosthesis prescription among individuals with dysvascular lower extremity amputation.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy (PN) and its effect on mobility in patients who were prescribed a lower limb prosthesis (LLP) after an incident dysvascular transtibial (TT) or transfemoral (TF) lower extremity amputation (LEA). We also sought to determine if the effect of PN on mobility was modified by amputation level or depression.

Design: Participants were identified retrospectively through the Veterans Affairs (VA) Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) from March 1, 2018, to November 30, 2020, then were contacted prospectively to obtain their self-reported mobility.

The impact of climate change and related extreme weather on people with limb loss.

The human health consequences of climate change and extreme weather events are well documented. Published literature details the unique effects and necessary adaptation planning for people with physical disabilities in general; however, the specific impacts and plans for people with limb loss have yet to be explored. In this article, we discuss the impacts related to threats due to heat, cold, severe storms, and power outages.

The development of rating scales to evaluate experiential prosthetic foot preference for people with lower limb amputation.

Background: Selection of a foot is an important aspect of prosthetic prescription and vital to maximizing mobility and functional goals after lower limb amputation. Development of a standardized approach to soliciting user experiential preferences is needed to improve evaluation and comparison of prosthetic feet.

Objective: To develop rating scales to assess prosthetic foot preference and to evaluate use of these scales in people with transtibial amputation after trialing different prosthetic feet.

The effect of depression on prosthesis prescription in men and women who have undergone a lower limb amputation.

Purpose: To determine gender disparities and potential factors that modify prosthesis prescription practices in veteran patients who have undergone their first major unilateral amputation due to diabetes or peripheral arterial disease.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort study using the VA Corporate Data Warehouse to compare prosthesis prescription rates and time to prescription between men and women veterans. The primary exposure was gender.

Effects of shear force reduction during mechanical testing and day-to-day variation on stiffness of commercial prosthetic feet: a technical note.

Background: Mechanical testing is the principal method used to quantify properties of commercial prosthetic feet in a controlled and standardized manner. To test feet in a mechanical testing machine without overconstraining the system, tangential shear forces must be minimized. However, there is scant published information comparing techniques for reducing shear forces during mechanical testing.

A novel gel liner system with embedded electrodes for use with upper limb myoelectric prostheses.

We present the development and evaluation of a gel liner system for upper limb prosthesis users that enables acquisition of electromyographic (myoelectric) control signals through embedded electrodes and flexible, conductive fabric leads. This liner system is constructed using a manufacturing approach rather than by modifying a commercially available liner. To evaluate the efficacy, eight male individuals with transhumeral amputations used this system, with standard myoelectric prostheses, for home trials lasting an average of 7.

Assessment of low- and high-level task performance in people with transtibial amputation using crossover and energy-storing prosthetic feet: A pilot study.

Background:: Crossover feet incorporate features of energy-storing feet and running-specific feet. As such, crossover feet may be suitable for both daily ambulation and participation in physically demanding activities.

Objectives:: To compare crossover feet and energy-storing feet on performance-based tests including a range of low-level (e.

Energy expenditure in people with transtibial amputation walking with crossover and energy storing prosthetic feet: A randomized within-subject study.

Background: Energy storing feet are unable to reduce the energy required for normal locomotion among people with transtibial amputation. Crossover feet, which incorporate aspects of energy storing and running specific feet, are designed to maximize energy return while providing stability for everyday activities.

Research Question: Do crossover prosthetic feet reduce the energy expenditure of walking across a range of speeds, when compared with energy storing feet among people with transtibial amputation due to non-dysvascular causes?

Methods: A randomized within-subject study was conducted with a volunteer sample of twenty-seven adults with unilateral transtibial amputation due to non-dysvascular causes.

Laboratory- and community-based health outcomes in people with transtibial amputation using crossover and energy-storing prosthetic feet: A randomized crossover trial.

Unlabelled: Contemporary prosthetic feet are generally optimized for either daily or high-level activities. Prosthesis users, therefore, often require multiple prostheses to participate in activities that span a range of mobility. Crossover feet (XF) are designed to increase the range of activities that can be performed with a single prosthesis.

Delaying Ambulation Mode Transition Decisions Improves Accuracy of a Flexible Control System for Powered Knee-Ankle Prosthesis.

Powered lower limb prostheses can assist users in a variety of ambulation modes by providing knee and/or ankle joint power. This study's goal was to develop a flexible control system to allow users to perform a variety of tasks in a natural, accurate, and reliable way. Six transfemoral amputees used a powered knee-ankle prosthesis to ascend/descend a ramp, climb a 3- and 4-step staircase, perform walking and standing transitions to and from the staircase, and ambulate at various speeds.

Improved Weight-Bearing Symmetry for Transfemoral Amputees During Standing Up and Sitting Down With a Powered Knee-Ankle Prosthesis.

Objective: To test a new user-modulated control strategy that enables improved control of a powered knee-ankle prosthesis during sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit movements.

Design: Within-subject comparison study.

Setting: Gait laboratory.

Intuitive control of a powered prosthetic leg during ambulation: a randomized clinical trial.

Importance: Some patients with lower leg amputations may be candidates for motorized prosthetic limbs. Optimal control of such devices requires accurate classification of the patient's ambulation mode (eg, on level ground or ascending stairs) and natural transitions between different ambulation modes.

Objective: To determine the effect of including electromyographic (EMG) data and historical information from prior gait strides in a real-time control system for a powered prosthetic leg capable of level-ground walking, stair ascent and descent, ramp ascent and descent, and natural transitions between these ambulation modes.

Long-term activity in and among persons with transfemoral amputation.

Although physical limitations associated with transfemoral amputation (TFA) have been studied in laboratory settings, little is known about habitual activity within free-living environments. A retrospective analysis of 12 mo of step activity data was performed to quantify activity levels, variations, and patterns in 17 adults with unilateral TFA. Yearly, seasonal, and monthly average daily step counts and coefficients of variation (CoVs) were examined to characterize mobility.

Unrestricted migration favours virulent pathogens in experimental metapopulations: evolutionary genetics of a rapacious life history.

Understanding pathogen infectivity and virulence requires combining insights from epidemiology, ecology, evolution and genetics. Although theoretical work in these fields has identified population structure as important for pathogen life-history evolution, experimental tests are scarce. Here, we explore the impact of population structure on life-history evolution in phage T4, a viral pathogen of Escherichia coli.