Benchmark data for elderly, vascular trans-tibial amputees after rehabilitation

Benchmark data for lower limb amputees is often limited to young subjects who have had their amputations as the result of trauma. The majority of trans-tibial amputees rehabilitated are, however, elderly vascular amputees who may have different gait characteristics than their younger counterparts. Without biomechanical analyses to provide such benchmark data for this group it is not possible to compare the effects of different rehabilitation programmes, gait training regimens, or prosthetic devices. Twenty elderly vascular trans-tibial amputees rehabilitated at The Queen Elizabeth Centre, Ballarat, Australia and at least six months post-amputation were measured in respect of kinetic and kinematic parameters, and relationships between gait speed, consistency, and function were demonstrated. Further, an unexplained vertical ground reaction force pattern was demonstrated in faster, more functional amputees.