Redefining prosthetic ankle mechanics: non-anthropomorphic ankle design

The moment transferred at the residual limb socket interface of transtibial amputees can be a limiting factor of the comfort and activity level of lower limb amputees. The high pressures seen can be a significant source of pain, as well as result in deep tissue damage. The compensation of the sound limbs causes an asymmetrical gait which can be a contributor of early onset osteoarthritis in the sound limbs. It has been shown that the moment transferred with conventional passive prostheses can be lowered in magnitude by aligning the tibia with ground reaction forces, but this limits the effectiveness of the device. With recent powered prosthetics designed to mimic the missing limb, power can be injected into the gait cycle, but can also be limited by this pressure threshold. This paper shows the results of calculations that suggest that altering the prosthetic ankle mechanism can reduce the socket interface moments by as much as 50%. This supports the development of an active non-anthropomorphic ankle prosthesis which reduces socket interface moments while still injecting substantial power levels into the gait cycle.