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Published on: May 8, 2014
Amputation: energy cost of ambulation.
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
|January 1, 1979
Summary
Energy expenditure during walking significantly increases with lower-limb amputation severity. Bilateral above-knee amputees showed the highest oxygen consumption per foot traveled compared to unimpaired individuals.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human Physiology
- Rehabilitation Engineering
Background:
- Lower-limb amputation significantly impacts mobility and energy expenditure.
- Quantifying the energetic cost of ambulation is crucial for rehabilitation and prosthetic design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure and compare the energy consumption during rest and ambulation in individuals with varying levels of lower-limb amputation.
- To establish the relationship between amputation level and the metabolic cost of walking.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a mobile indirect calorimetry system to assess oxygen consumption in unimpaired subjects and patients with below-knee (BK), above-knee (AK), and bilateral AK amputations.
- Subjects ambulated at their self-selected comfortable speeds, with data normalized to energy cost per foot traveled.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in mean oxygen costs were observed across all groups.
- Unilateral BK amputees exhibited a 9% increase, unilateral AK amputees a 49% increase, and bilateral AK amputees a substantial 280% increase in oxygen consumption compared to unimpaired individuals.
Conclusions:
- The level of lower-limb amputation is directly correlated with increased energy expenditure during ambulation.
- These findings highlight the substantial metabolic burden imposed by higher-level amputations and inform prosthetic development and gait training strategies.
