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Introduction: Since their release, prosthetic feet with integrated hydraulic ankle units have proved a popular prescription choice among individuals with amputation, as quantified in previous studies. Since the release of the Avalon foot, a new design specifically aimed at less active individuals with amputation, all the patients prescribed this foot within our clinic have been asked to trial and then evaluate it using the Seattle Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire. Materials and Methods: Fourteen established K2 activity level patients with amputation were asked to evaluate their existing prosthetic foot using the Seattle Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire before beginning a trial of the new Avalon foot for a period of 4 weeks. The Avalon foot was then evaluated using the same tool after this trial. Results: The results showed the patients recorded an improvement in all the domains evaluated. There were significant improvements noted in both the overall prosthetic satisfaction and in the patients' overall gait satisfaction. Conclusions: The results showed a marked improvement in the patients' perception of their prosthesis when using the Avalon foot, and further studies including gait analysis are warranted to help in our understanding of this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most clinically available prosthetic feet have a rigid attachment or incorporate an “ankle” device allowing elastic articulation during stance, with the foot returning to a “neutral” position at toe-off. We investigated whether using a foot with a hydraulically controlled articulating ankle that allows the foot to be relatively dorsiflexed at toe-off and throughout swing would increase minimum toe clearance (MTC). Twenty-one people with unilateral transtibial amputation completed overground walking trials using their habitual prosthetic foot with rigid or elastic articulating attachment and a foot with a hydraulic ankle attachment (hyA-F). MTC and other kinematic variables were assessed across multiple trials. When using the hyA-F, mean MTC increased on both limbs (p = 0.03). On the prosthetic limb this was partly due to the device being in its fully dorsiflexed position at toe-off, which reduced the “toes down” foot angle throughout swing (p = 0.01). Walking speed also increased when using the hyA-F (p = 0.001) and was associated with greater swing-limb hip flexion on the prosthetic side (p = 0.04), which may have contributed to the increase in mean MTC. Variability in MTC increased on the prosthetic side when using the hyA-F (p = 0.03), but this did not increase risk of tripping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]