Treadmill-based assessment of running-specific prostheses in steady and accelerated running: a case study with a...

Running-specific prostheses (RSPs) enable individuals with lower-limb amputation to compete in Paralympic running disciplines. In a high-level sports context, optimal RSP tuning based on biomechanical parameters is essential to enhance running performance. Although on-track assessment is considered the gold standard, its high financial and logistical demands make treadmill-based setups valuable alternatives. Therefore, this single-case study aimed to present a method for assessing steady-state running (SSR) and resisted acceleration running (RAR) in an amputee athlete, comparing different RSP alignments. The experimental setup combined a commercial treadmill mounted over four dynamometric platforms with an eight-camera motion capture system, enabling the kinetic, kinematic, and spatiotemporal assessment of different RSP configurations. Differences in biomechanical parameters were observed between RSP configurations during both SSR and RAR, including variations in GRFs and corresponding impulses, as well as hip, knee, and ankle kinematics. However, the sensitivity of the proposed method in detecting biomechanical differences should be interpreted with caution, as it is based on a single Paralympic athlete. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the treadmill-based protocol may serve as a functional and controlled screening tool for preliminary performance-oriented RSP tuning, enabling the identification of promising configurations prior to definitive assessments on an instrumented athletics track.