Article

Most clinically available prosthetic feet have a rigid attachment or incorporate
an "ankle" device allowing elastic articulation during stance, with the foot
returning to a "neutral" position at toe-off. We investigated whether using a
foot with a hydraulically controlled articulating ankle that allows the foot to
be relatively dorsiflexed at toe-off and throughout swing would increase minimum
toe clearance (MTC). Twenty-one people with unilateral transtibial amputation
completed overground walking trials using their habitual prosthetic foot with
rigid or elastic articulating attachment and a foot with a hydraulic ankle
attachment (hyA-F). MTC and other kinematic variables were assessed across
multiple trials. When using the hyA-F, mean MTC increased on both limbs (p =
0.03). On the prosthetic limb this was partly due to the device being in its
fully dorsiflexed position at toe-off, which reduced the "toes down" foot angle
throughout swing (p = 0.01). Walking speed also increased when using the hyA-F (p
= 0.001) and was associated with greater swing-limb hip flexion on the prosthetic
side (p = 0.04), which may have contributed to the increase in mean MTC.
Variability in MTC increased on the prosthetic side when using the hyA-F (p =
0.03), but this did not increase risk of tripping.

Langue : ANGLAIS