Volume Fluctuations in Active and Nonactive Transtibial Prosthetics Users

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Rehabilitation Technology

Background:

• Residual limb volume management is crucial for prosthetic fitting and comfort.
• Understanding limb volume fluctuations during activity is essential for optimizing prosthetic use.
• Current measurement methods may lack precision or convenience for daily monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Biosculptor Bioscanner system.
• To assess the Bioscanner's ability to capture transtibial residual limb volume changes.
• To compare Bioscanner measurements with traditional manual measurements.

Main Methods:

• Residual limb volume was measured using the Bioscanner and a tape measure.
• Measurements were taken after amputees walked for 5 to 25 minutes over five consecutive days.
• Circumference and volume calculations were compared between the two methods.

Main Results:

• The Bioscanner showed a high correlation (0.97-1) with manual measurements.
• Percentage differences in volume calculation ranged from 2.4% to 9.3%.
• Limb circumference changes were non-uniform, with significant distal increases after initial walking.

Conclusions:

• The Bioscanner system demonstrates comparable accuracy to standard measurement methods.
• The Bioscanner is a potentially interchangeable and reliable tool for managing daily residual limb volume changes.
• This technology may offer an alternative for monitoring amputees' residual limb volume.