Article

Previous studies have shown that the effective rocker shape of the physiologic
ankle-foot system during standing and fore-aft swaying is much flatter than that
used during walking, which indicates a more stable base of support for the
standing/swaying activity. Previous work suggests that flat regions within the
effective rocker shapes of prosthetic ankle-foot systems could provide enhanced
stability for standing balance tasks. An experimental prosthetic foot was altered
to provide three different flat region lengths within its effective rocker shape.
It was hypothesized that longer flat regions of the effective rocker shape would
lead to improved standing balance outcomes and reduced walking performance for
unilateral transtibial prosthesis users. However, no significant changes were
seen in the balance and mobility outcomes of 12 unilateral transtibial prosthesis
users when using the three prosthetic foot conditions. Subjects in the study
significantly preferred prosthetic feet with relatively low to moderate flat
regions over those with long flat regions. All the subjects without loss of light
touch or vibratory sensation selected the prosthetic foot with the shortest flat
region. More work is needed to investigate the effects of prosthetic foot
properties on balance and mobility of prosthesis users.

Langue : ANGLAIS