Prosthetics and Orthotics International

BACKGROUND: Myoelectric prostheses have become the accepted standard of care for pediatric upper-limb amputees. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical characteristics and patterns of prosthesis use and to analyze the changes that occur during the growth process of these patients. STUDY DESIGN: This is a longitudinal retrospective study comparing the results of surveys carried out in 2015 and 2022. METHODS: The variables measured included clinical and demographic characteristics, patterns of use, and satisfaction with the prosthesis...

BACKGROUND: There is no gold standard for a walking orthosis after first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) arthrodesis surgery. Evaluation of plantar pressure measures and patient perceptions for different orthoses may assist surgeons to choose a postsurgery orthotic. The purpose of this study was to measure plantar pressure under the distal first ray during walking and patient perceptions of comfort, stability, and preference with 4 different orthoses in patients with a history of first MTPJ arthrodesis...

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, the manufacture of prostheses is time-consuming and labor-intensive. One possible route to improving access and quality of these devices is the digitalizing of the fabrication process, which may reduce the burden of manual labor and bring the potential for automation that could help unblock access to assistive technologies globally. OBJECTIVES: To identify where there are gaps in the literature that are creating barriers to decision-making on either appropriate uptake by clinical teams or on the needed next steps in research that mean these technologies can continue on a pathway to maturity...

BACKGROUND: Transmission of loads between the prosthetic socket and the residual limb is critical for the comfort and walking ability of people with transfemoral amputation. This transmission is mainly determined by the socket tightening, muscle forces, and socket ischial support. However, numerical investigations of the amputated gait, using modeling approaches such as MusculoSkeletal (MSK) modeling, ignore the weight-bearing role of the ischial support. This simplification may lead to errors in the muscle force estimation...

INTRODUCTION: Composite running-specific prostheses (RSP) are widely used by athletes with lower limb amputations to simulate the spring-like behavior of biological legs. However, the effect of these devices on the biomechanics of athletes with transtibial amputations remains uncertain. MODELING METHOD DESCRIPTION: To address this issue, this study proposes a time-dependent finite element model that uses angles and dynamic loads during ground contact to evaluate RSP performance parameters such as stiffness and energy efficiency...

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BACKGROUND: In children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP), ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are widely used to correct common gait deviations such as a drop-foot pattern. Most studies on this topic have investigated specific time points while omitting other parts of the gait cycle. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the separate effects of prefabricated carbon fiber AFOs and custom-made hinged AFOs compared with barefoot walking in children with USCP with a drop-foot gait pattern using statistical parametric mapping...

Lateral wedge insole (LWI) wear is a well-known conservative treatment for patients with knee osteoarthritis and is expected to decrease knee joint loading. Although the effect of LWI length on knee adduction moment (KAM) has been investigated, the biomechanical mechanism has not been fully investigated. Twelve healthy young subjects walked in the laboratory with and without 2 different lengths of LWIs. Three-dimensional motion analysis was performed to calculate the first and second peaks and impulses of the KAM during the stance phase...

BACKGROUND: Mobility is a major goal of prosthetic and orthotic rehabilitation, and use of outcome measures to evaluate mobility is necessary for good clinical practice. To support the use of outcome measures worldwide, work is needed to translate relevant instruments and adapt them for use in multiple cultures. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this research was to use a standardized method to translate the Locomotor Capabilities Index-5 (LCI-5) into Khmer, the national language in Cambodia, and to evaluate its cultural integrity by assessing it with a group of prosthesis and orthosis users...

Chronic pain following amputation is debilitating. Due to its mechanisms in modulating muscle contraction and pain, botulinum toxin has been investigated as a treatment option for phantom limb pain (PLP) and residual limb pain (RLP). The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of botulinum toxin injection in the management of PLP and RLP following major limb amputation using a systematic review of the literature. The databases Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane were searched from inception through October 30, 2023...

The rates of prosthetic abandonment are not extensively understood especially in resource-limited countries. A scoping review was conducted to examine the literature on the satisfaction with and barriers to using specifically upper limb prostheses. A systematic search of the literature identified 425 studies. After reviewing the articles using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 7 cross-sectional studies were included in the final review. Barriers to the use of upper limb prostheses include the characteristics of the prosthesis (type, comfort, weight, functionality, price, and availability) and individual patient factors (recent prosthetic user, level of amputation, congenital and accidental limb loss, pain, and duration between amputation and prosthetic fitting)...

BACKGROUND: Amputation is a major life-changing event and is regarded as one of the loading causes of permanent disability. However, amputation often causes changes in painful and nonpainful sensory experiences. Pain after amputation has been shown to increase functional limitations caused by limb loss and lower quality of life. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effect of pain on activity and participation in individuals with unilateral below-knee amputations according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health...

BACKGROUND: The subtalar joint axis (STJA) occupies a key role in the dynamics of the lower limb kinetic chain, and its location has a wide interindividual variability. It has been suggested that considering the STJA location when designing foot orthoses may help to apply the required mechanical dose. However, the evidence is more anecdotal than empirical. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of the STJA digitization, a procedure combining the clinical determination of the functional STJA location and its subsequent 3-dimensional (3D) scanning...

BACKGROUND: Lateral epicondylitis (LE) is one of the most common causes of lateral elbow pain, and orthoses are often used in its conservative treatment. However, the number of studies examining the effectiveness of the orthoses used and their differences compared to each other is limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of 2 orthoses types, wrist orthosis (WO) and counterforce brace (CB), commonly used in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis on muscle activation, grip strength, hand function, and satisfaction level in healthy individuals...

BACKGROUND: Most stroke survivors have persistent upper limb impairments after completing standard clinical care. The resulting impairments can adversely affect their quality of life and ability to complete self-care tasks and remain employed, leading to increased healthcare and societal costs. A myoelectric arm orthosis can be used effectively to support the affected weak arm and increase an individual's use of that arm. OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to retrospectively evaluate the outcomes and clinical benefits provided by the MyoPro® orthosis in individuals 65 years and older with upper limb impairment secondary to a stroke...

BACKGROUND: After lower limb amputation, several prosthesis design options exist. However, prosthesis design decisions do not always reflect a prosthesis user's needs, values, and preferences. OBJECTIVE: To develop a patient decision aid (PDA) prototype for prosthetists and new prosthesis users facing prosthesis design decisions after lower limb amputation, and to assess its usability, accuracy, and comprehensibility. STUDY DESIGN: Exploratory mixed methods...

BACKGROUND: Prosthetic embodiment is the perception of the prosthesis as a part of the body, and it is important for acceptance and adequate and effective use of the prosthesis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Prosthesis Embodiment Scale for Lower Limb Amputees. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included a total of 88 lower limb amputees. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach α coefficient...

BACKGROUND: Outcome measures (OMs) are useful tools; however, clinicians may find implementing them into clinical practice challenging. OBJECTIVES: To characterize Canadian prosthetists' use of OMs for people with lower-limb amputation, including motivations for use, comfort selecting OMs, resources available for administration, and barriers to implementation. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March and July 2021. Orthotics Prosthetics Canada sent Canadian prosthetists an invitation to take the online survey...

Prosthesis rejection is a significant barrier to rehabilitation of persons with upper limb difference. Many individual factors can affect device rejection, including a person's sex or gender. The objective of this narrative review was to explore the reported differences between the sexes and genders in upper limb prosthesis rejection. This review considered peer-reviewed, published research studies in which the study population were adults (aged 18 and older) who had unilateral or bilateral limb difference (any level) of any etiology with current, past, or no history of prosthetic device usage...

BACKGROUND: People with lower limb loss (LLL) have reduced physical activity (PA). There is evidence of physical and psychosocial predictors of PA in older adults with limb loss. However, these 2 areas (physical/psychosocial) have not been evaluated in the same analysis. OBJECTIVES: To describe and identify predictors of PA in individuals with LLL. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Secondary analysis of data from a multisite Canadian randomized control trial involving community-dwelling prosthetic ambulators with unilateral transtibial or transfemoral amputation (N = 72)...