The effect of five prosthetic feet on the gait and loading of the sound limb in dysvascular below-knee amputees.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of prosthetic foot design on the vertical ground reaction forces experienced by the sound and amputated limbs in a group of persons with dysvascular below-knee amputations. Stride characteristics, joint motion, and ground reaction forces were recorded simultaneously during a self-selected free walking velocity in seven subjects wearing five different prosthetic feet (SACH, Flex-Foot, Carbon Copy II, Seattle, Quantum). Subjects used each foot for one month prior to testing. Results indicated that the sound limb was exposed to higher vertical ground reaction forces than normal despite a reduced walking velocity. Use of the Flex-Foot resulted in the lowest sound limb vertical forces, which appears to be related to its large arc of dorsiflexion motion. In addition, there was increased loading response knee flexion of the sound limb indicating an attempt by these subjects to modulate floor impact. These results suggest that the intact lower extremity is susceptible to excessive floor impact, and that prosthetic foot design can have an effect on the magnitude of the vertical forces experienced by the limb.