Clinical measures of balance and gait cannot differentiate somatosensory impairments in people with lower-limb amputation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In addition to a range of functional impairments seen in individuals with a lower-limb amputation, this population is at a substantially elevated risk of falls. Studies postulate that the lack of sensory feedback from the prosthetic limb contributes heavily to these impairments, but the extent to which sensation affects functional measures remains unclear.

Research question

The purpose of this study is to determine how sensory impairments in the lower extremities relate to performance with common clinical functional measures of balance and gait in individuals with a lower-limb amputation. Here we evaluate the effects of somatosensory integrity to clinical and lab measures of static, reactive and dynamic balance, and gait stability.

Methods

In 20 individuals

SUBMITTER: Petersen BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9970031 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature