Gait patterns of elderly men with trans-tibial-amptitafions

Abstract

Gait patterns for the non-amputated leg of eight elderly men with trans-tibial amputations were assessed using kinematic and kinetic measures. Kinematically, the subject's walking speed was faster than expected but less than normative non-amputee data. The stride length was also less than non-amputee norms. Net joint moment and power analyses showed various discrepancies between the amputee subjects and non-amputees. The amputees required a concentric ankle dorsiflexor moment just after heel-strike to help move the lower leg into mid-stance position. The concentric plantarflexor moment at push-off was much larger than comparative data. A large eccentric flexor moment was also found at the hip during late mid-stance. Most of these discrepancies could be explained by the lack of an ankle moment generator on the amputated side of the body.

The energy cost for the step-to-step transition in amputee walking

“…These observations are in line with previous studies that found a reduced ground reaction force under the prosthetic leg during push off and an increased ground reaction force under the intact leg during the loading phase of the step [18][19][20][21]. Step in which intact limb leads, prosthetic limb trails and single support is on intact limb.…”

Compensatory mechanisms in below-knee amputee gait in response to increasing steady-state walking speeds

“…This subject was consistent with the hypothesis that the propulsive impulse ratio would decrease with speed due to increased dependence on the intact leg for propulsion. Increased dependence on the intact leg occurred primarily at the ankle, with the ankle power and work increasing with speed, which was consistent with previous studies [15,23]. In addition, this subject displayed increased output from the residual leg hip flexors in late stance.…”

“…[10][11][12][13]), joint kinetic (e.g., Refs. [12,[14][15][16][17][18]), and electromyographic (EMG) (e.g., Refs. [14,[18][19][20][21]) data have provided much insight into the compensatory mechanisms used by below-knee amputees.…”

Effect of 4-aminopyridine on gait in ambulatory spinal cord injuries: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial

“…27 The BIO-MECH software (University of Waterloo, Ontario) was used to obtain bilateral hip, knee and ankle joint moments of force and net joint powers at critical points in the gait cycle. 28 Surface electromyography (EMG) Simultaneous EMG recordings were obtained using preamplified differential electrode units with two, 1 cm long silver recording surfaces (Delsys Inc., Boston, USA). Bilateral records from a minimum of three steps were collected from the gluteus medius, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, medial gastrocnemius, medial hamstrings and tibialis anterior (200 Hz sampling rate).…”