Gait analysis in lower-limb amputation and prosthetic rehabilitation

Gait analysis combined with sound clinical judgment plays an important role in elucidating the factors involved in the pathologic prosthetic gait and the selection and effects of available interventions to optimize it. Detailed clinical evaluation of walking contributes to the analysis of the prosthetic gait, but evaluation in the gait laboratory using kinetic and kinematic data is often necessary to quantify and identify the particular contributions of the variables impacting the gait with confidence and assess the results of such intervention. The same approach can be considered when selecting prosthetic components and assessing leg length in this patient population.