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Background: Individuals with trans-tibial amputation show a greater peak prosthetic ankle power (push- off) when using energy storing and returning (ESAR) prosthetic feet as compared to solid-ankle cushion-heel feet. ESAR feet further contribute to the users' body support and thus limit prosthetic ankle motion. To improve ankle motion, articulating prosthetic feet have been introduced. However, articulating feet may diminish push-off.Research Question: Does a novel prosthetic foot, with a serial layout of carbon fibre leaf springs, connected by a multi-centre joint construction, have advantages in kinematics and kinetics over a conventional ESAR prosthetic foot?> METHODS: Eleven individuals with unilateral trans-tibial amputation were fitted with the novel foot (NF) and a conventional ESAR Foot (CF) and underwent 3D gait analysis. As an additional power estimate of the prosthetic ankle, a unified, deformable, segment model approach was applied. Eleven matched individuals without impairments served as a reference.Results: The NF shows an effective prosthetic ankle range of motion that is closer to a physiologic ankle range of motion, at 31.6° as compared to 15.2° with CF (CF vs. NF p = 0.003/NF vs. Reference p = 0.171) without reducing the maximum prosthetic ankle joint moment. Furthermore, the NF showed a great increase in prosthetic ankle power (NF 2.89 W/kg vs. CF 1.48 W/kg CF vs. NF p = <0.001) and a reduction of 19% in the peak knee varus moment and 13% in vertical ground reaction forces on the sound side for NF in comparison to CF.Significance: The NF shows that serial carbon fibre leaf springs, connected by a multi-centre joint construction gives a larger ankle joint range of motion and higher ankle power than a conventional carbon fibre structure alone. Consequently load is taken off the contralateral limb, as measured by the decrease in vertical ground reaction forces and peak knee varus moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of knee and hip joint osteoarthritis in subjects with below knee amputation (BK) appears significantly higher compared to unimpaired subjects, especially in the intact side. However, it is controversial if constant higher loads on the sound side are one of the major factors for an increased osteoarthritis (OA) incidence in subjects with BK, beside other risk factors, e.g. with respect to metabolism. The aim wasto investigate joint contact forces (JCF) calculated by a musculoskeletal model in the intact side and to compare it with those of unimpaired subjects and to further elucidate in how far increased knee JCF are associated with increased frontal plane knee moments. A group of seven subjects with BK amputation and a group of ten unimpaired subjects were recruited for this study. Gait data were measured by 3D motion capture and force plates. OpenSim software was applied to calculate JCF. Maximum joint angles, ground reaction forces, and moments as well as time distance parameters were determined and compared between groups showing no significant differences, with some JCF components of knee and hip even being slightly smaller in subjects with BK compared to the reference group. This positive finding may be due to the selected ESAR foot. However, other beneficial factors may also have influenced this positive result such as the general good health status of the subjects or the thorough and proper fitting and alignment of the prosthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]