Aerobic training exercises for individuals who had amputation of the lower limb

The findings in ten subjects who had an amputation of the lower limb or limbs were studied before and after a fifteen-week aerobic conditioning program to determine if it improved cardiovascular fitness and reduced the effort of walking. Each subject exercised on an Air-Dyne ergometer (Schwinn, Chicago, Illinois) regularly during each week of the study period at 60 to 80 per cent of their estimated maximum heart rate. A test of maximum exercise on the ergometer and a test of walking on a treadmill were administered before and after training. After training, there was an increase of 25 per cent in the maximum capacity for exercise on the ergometer as well as significantly lower values for heart rate and consumption of oxygen during submaximum walking on the treadmill at various inclined grades. Aerobic conditioning was shown not only to improve cardiovascular fitness but also to increase the economy of walking in the subject who had an amputation of the lower limb or limbs.