The effect of the CAT-CAM above-knee prosthesis on functional rehabilitation.

Five, rehabilitated, unilateral above-knee amputees (average age, 34.4 years) using quadrilateral sockets were converted to Contoured Adducted Trochanteric-Controlled Alignment Method (CAT-CAM) sockets to determine the effect on ambulatory function. Patients were evaluated before and after conversion for subjective acceptance, gait deviations, relative femoral shaft inclination, coronal-plane hip abduction torque, and ambulatory metabolic demands. The CAT-CAM socket was subjectively rated superior by four patients. Most gait deviations improved or disappeared. Femoral shaft inclination angles improved an average of 6.5 degrees toward adduction by roentgenographic measurements in four patients. Film records suggest that the compensatory lateral trunk lean, seen in patients with quadrilateral sockets, diminished after conversion. These four patients increased their customary gait velocities, and all showed a reduction in the quantity of oxygen consumed per meter traveled by up to 50%.