Unilateral Transfemoral Amputation

Long-term above-knee prosthesis users are at an increased risk of developing secondary musculoskeletal conditions compared to the general able-bodied population. One secondary physical concern is low back pain (LBP), for which the development is not entirely understood, but in above-knee prosthesis users it is believed to relate to asymmetries and compensations that are typically demonstrated and required to stand and walk. Understanding spinal motion and compensations will enhance our knowledge of the factors contributing to LBP, and possibly lead to the development of new prosthetic and therapeutic interventions to prevent or alleviate LBP, thereby improving mobility and quality of life for prosthesis users.

People with transfemoral amputation face challenges such as gait asymmetry, instability, and increased energy consumption due to loss of the knee joint. Because of the loss of proprioceptive feedback from their missing limbs, visual feedback is essential for gait correction. Additionally, current visual feedback systems lack portability, cost-effectiveness, and they fail to provide precise, intuitive feedback on spatiotemporal parameters, joint angles, and both frontal and sagittal plane information, limiting their effectiveness in correcting gait abnormalities.This study aims to investigate whether gait training using a real-time 2D motion capture and visual feedback gait training system (2DMV) can improve the gait biomechanics and psychosocial functions of people with unilateral transfemoral amputation (uTFA). The 2DMV system analyzes spatiotemporal parameters and joint kinematics during gait and displays the uTFA's image on a screen, providing visual feedback specifically targeting gait abnormalities. This allows individuals with uTFA to intuitively understand the feedback and make real-time gait adjustments. The biomechanical parameters include joint kinematics, gait symmetry, and walking performance.