Article

A recent development in prosthetics is the osseointegrated fixation (OF), with
improvements in comfort, fatigue, hip movement, and ease of prosthetic attachment
reported. However, little information is available regarding muscle function.
This study reports on selected gait parameters of the residual limb during the
stance phase of level overground walking, focusing on muscle activity. Five males
with transfemoral amputation (TFA) with OFs were recruited. Ground reaction force
(GRF), lower-limb kinematics, and surface electromyography (sEMG) from
residual-limb muscles were recorded. sEMG data were also collected from a group
of 10 nondisabled male subjects. Interstance variability of gait parameters was
assessed by coefficient of multiple correlations. Repeatability of GRF and hip
kinematics was high, whereas repeatability of the sEMG was low for four of the
five individuals with TFA. Interstance variability of the sEMG for gluteus medius
(GMED) was significantly greater in the group with TFA. The main difference in
sEMG between the groups was the phase, with GMED and adductor magnus displaying
greater differences than their counterparts in the nondisabled group. Results
demonstrate that muscles in the residual limb retain aspects of their previous
functional pattern.

Langue : ANGLAIS