The Relationship between Muscle Strength and Gait Asymmetry in Unilateral, Trans-tibial Amputees

INTRODUCTION Persons with unilateral, trans-tibial amputation (TTA) have an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee of their intact limb [1]. Several OA risk factors, such as peak knee external adduction moment and vertical ground reaction force load rate, have been found to be greater on the intact limb in TTAs [2]. Betweenside strength discrepancies observed in TTAs [3] may be associated with an asymmetrical gait which relies heavily on the intact limb. This gait asymmetry may, over time, lead to a greater risk of developing OA in the intact limb. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between strength and gait asymmetry in TTAs. It was hypothesized that: (1) TTAs would be more asymmetrical than controls for gait and strength variables, and (2) muscle strength asymmetry would positively correlate with both gait asymmetry and intact side gait variables associated with knee OA risk.