Background Physical activity (PA) is important for the prevention and treatment of numerous chronic medical conditions. Individuals with a limb amputation face unique challenges for staying physically active. There are few studies evaluating PA of civilians with amputation in the United States. Objective To evaluate self‐reported PA in persons with an amputation in the outpatient setting using a standardized exercise vital sign (EVS) and correlate PA with demographic information, amputation characteristics, and disease burden. Design Cross‐sectional observational study. Setting Outpatient rehabilitation clinic at a tertiary care institution. Interventions N/A. Participants Two hundred twenty‐nine patients with limb amputation. Main Outcome Measurements EVS (self‐reported weekly participation in moderate to vigorous intensity exercise), disease burden using a modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), possession of a prosthetic limb, amputation level, time from amputation, body mass index (BMI), gender, race, and age. Results A total of 28.8% of patients with limb amputation self‐reported exercising at or above 150 min/wk as recommended by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); 31.8% of patients with transfemoral amputations, 27.8% with transtibial amputations, and 36% with upper extremity amputations reported exercising the recommended amount. Those with a prosthesis exercised 0.91 h/wk more than those without a prosthesis (95% CI 0.01, 1.8, P = .047), and female patients exercised 1.09 h/wk less than male patients (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69‐0.49, P < .001). Increasing age (P = .045), CCI (P = .006), and BMI (P = .005) all had a small but significant correlation with lower EVS. There was no statistically significant correlation between EVS and amputation level, race, or time from amputation. Conclusions Less than one‐third of patients with an amputation meet HHS recommendations for aerobic exercise. Male patients, those with a prosthesis, lower CCI, lower BMI, and younger age reported higher PA rates. Assessing EVS can help clinicians to identify patients with amputation that are not sufficiently active and may benefit from PA counseling and prescription.

Distal semimembranosus tendinopathy is a relatively uncommon diagnosis that can be responsible for medial knee pain. The semimembranosus tendon inserts on the posteromedial knee and is surrounded by the semimembranosus bursa, with both the bursa and tendon potential sources of pain. Similar to other tendinopathies, semimembranosus tendinopathy often occurs with overuse of the musculotendinous unit and is commonly seen in runners. Diagnosis can be made clinically and may be substantiated with use of ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging. Scant literature exists evaluating the efficacy of treatments for this condition. Consequently, best practice for treatment is inferred from other similar tendinopathies, clinical expertise, and smaller studies on semimembranosus tendinopathy. Extrapolating from other tendinopathies, rehabilitation should be the cornerstone of initial treatment, with focus on kinetic chain and gait abnormalities, hamstring strength and neuromuscular control, and progressive tendon loading. Recalcitrant cases with a coexisting bursopathy can be treated with an ultrasound‐guided bursal corticosteroid injection. Future studies may help delineate the optimal treatment regimen for this relatively uncommon diagnosis.

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