Developing prosthetic weight bearing in a knee disarticulation amputee

Area of Science:

• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Achieving full weight bearing is crucial for prosthetic training in amputees.
• Knee disarticulation amputation (KDA) presents a unique scenario due to the end-bearing nature of the intact femur.
• Evaluating weight-bearing progression is essential for successful amputee rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the development of weight bearing in a temporary prosthesis for a patient with KDA.
• To analyze gait and balance parameters longitudinally to objectively assess rehabilitation progress.
• To explore the efficacy of temporary prostheses as a treatment option for KDA.

Main Methods:

• Case study design focusing on a single patient with KDA.
• Utilized longitudinal measurements of gait and balance parameters.
• Employed a temporary prosthesis to facilitate early weight bearing.

Main Results:

• Full weight bearing through the temporary prosthesis was successfully achieved within four weeks.
• Longitudinal objective measures provided detailed insights into the rehabilitation process.
• Unexpected findings emerged from the detailed gait and balance assessments.

Conclusions:

• The temporary prosthesis proved to be a successful treatment modality for this KDA patient.
• Rapid achievement of full weight bearing indicates the potential of this approach.
• Objective, longitudinal data collection is valuable for understanding and optimizing amputee rehabilitation outcomes.