Relation between the amount of daily activity and gait quality in transfemoral amputees

Gait variability is often associated with reduced coordination and increased instability during walking. Especially for patients with musculoskeletal conditions, variability in gait might be associated with the level of daily activity. Therefore, this study examines kinematic variability during walking and the association with daily activity in patients with transfemoral amputation. Therefore, 15 transfemoral amputees, using the C-leg prosthesis of Otto Bock, between 18 and 65 years were recruited during their hospital stay. All patients were able to walk without crutches in everyday life and were familiar with walking using the C-leg system. Gait parameters and data of variability were captured during walking in a gait laboratory by eight infrared cameras (Vicon). Daily activity was assessed using a three-dimensional acceleration sensor of VitaMove. Patients showed variability from 0.84° up to 1.96° in frontal pelvis motion and from 0.9° up to 4.02° in trunk obliquity. The results show a significant correlation between activity and variability in trunk (r = -0.58; P  ≤ 0.05) and pelvis (r = -0.63; P ≤ 0.01) as well as gait velocity (r = 0.6; P  ≤ 0.05). However, kinematic variability and gait velocity are not related to each other. In conclusion, the results show that kinematic gait variability is associated with the extent of activity and therefore presents an important parameter for assessing amputees' gait quality and daily activity.