Article

Amputees lack movement and control mechanisms at the foot and ankle that result
in different strategies for locomotion than nonamputees. The torsion adapter is a
prosthetic device designed to minimize shear stress at the residual limb by
facilitating rotation in the transverse plane.
This study determined if the
addition of a torsion adapter alters lower-limb joint rotation moments of
transtibial amputees walking in a straight line and turning. Ten transtibial
amputees wore either a torsion adapter or a rigid adapter for an acclimation
period of 3 weeks in random order. Ten nonamputees were also included for
comparison. Kinetics were collected as participants walked in a straight line and
around a 1 m-radius circular path at their self-selected turning walking speed.
When amputee participants wore the torsion adapter, they demonstrated decreased
prosthetic-limb peak internal rotation moments at the inside limb knee and hip
compared with when they wore the rigid adapter, which may facilitate changes in
orientation by not actively resisting the turn. Nonamputees exhibited larger
moments compared with the prosthetic limb for both the amputee participants
wearing either the torsion or rigid adapters. No differences were found in the
moments for the intact limb between torsion and rigid adapter conditions during
turning and for both limbs during straight-line walking.

Langue : ANGLAIS