How does ankle power on the prosthetic side influence loading parameters on the sound side during level walking of persons with transfemoral amputation?

The sample size was very small (n=6), limiting statistical power and generalizability. All participants were experienced C-Leg users with high mobility levels (K-level 3 or 4), so findings may not apply to less active or less experienced amputees. Testing was conducted in a single day with limited acclimatization time (1 hour per foot), which may not reflect long-term adaptation. The study did not find significant differences in some key parameters (like EKAM) between power settings, contradicting the hypothesis that ankle power is the sole driver of sound-side loading.

Three of the authors are employees of Ottobock, the manufacturer of the prosthetic components used in the study. The authors reported no financial support for the research.

Do not assume that increasing the ankle power setting on a prosthetic foot will significantly reduce the external knee adduction moment or vertical ground reaction force on the sound side. While powered feet showed advantages in knee flexion moments compared to basic feet, the study did not find a systematic, significant reduction in all loading parameters with increased power, particularly at fast walking speeds.