The aim of the study was to investigate how kinematic and kinetic adjustments between level and slope locomotion of persons with transtibial amputation are related to their individual muscular and functional capacities. A quantified gait analysis was conducted on flat and slope surfaces for seven patients with transtibial amputation and a control group of eight subjects to obtain biomechanical ...

BACKGROUND Understanding of kinematics force applied at the elbow is important in many fields, including biomechanics, biomedical engineering and rehabilitation. This paper provides a comparison of a mathematical model of elbow joint using three different types of prosthetics for transhumeral user, and characterizes the forces required to overcome the passive mechanical of the prosthetics at th...

Previous studies have differed in expectations about whether long limbs should increase or decrease the energetic cost of locomotion. It has recently been shown that relatively longer lower limbs (relative to body mass) reduce the energetic cost of human walking. Here we report on whether a relationship exists between limb length and cost of human running. Subjects whose measured lower-limb len...

OBJECTIVE To compare kinematic indices in age-matched healthy subjects and stroke patients, by evaluating various tasks performed with a robotic device, and to provide an objective and standardized protocol to assess upper limb impairments in stroke patients. DESIGN A prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS Age-matched healthy subjects (n = 10) and stroke patients (n = 10). METHODS Various kin...

Recently the metabolic cost of swinging the limbs has been found to be much greater than previously thought, raising the possibility that limb rotational inertia influences the energetics of locomotion. Larger mammals have a lower mass-specific cost of transport than smaller mammals. The scaling of the mass-specific cost of transport is partly explained by decreasing stride frequency with incre...

During lower extremity amputation, the objective is to provide a functional residual limb that permits maximum patient mobility and independence. Preservation of length of the fore part of the foot using salvageable tissue from the amputated part in young patients prevents equines deformity and revision of amputation to a higher level. This can be achieved using tissue available from the amputa...

It is more than a decade since scientists are making use of sympathetic skin response (SSR) as a clinical and research method to evaluate sympathetic nervous system. A major portion of the efferent pathway of this response is composed of non-myelinated nerves. Thus, the latency of the response may be significantly different in normal individuals with different height and limb lengths. This stud...

Characterization of the residual limbs and limb segments of patients for prosthesis and orthosis design has principally been a subjective process, highly dependent upon the skill, level of training, and experience of the prosthetist/orthotist involved. Even with the application of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technologies in prosthetics and orthotics, resid...

Appropriate muscular response following an external perturbation is essential in preventing falls. Transtibial prosthesis users lack a foot-ankle complex and associated sensorimotor structures on the side with the prosthesis. The effect of this lack on rapid responses of the lower limb to external surface perturbations is unknown. The aim of the present study was to compare electromyogram (EMG)...