Perceived Effect of Socket Fit on Major Lower Limb Prosthetic Rehabilitation: A Clinician and Amputee Perspective.
Shruti Turner, Alison H McGregor
PMID 33543086WHAT IT FOUND
Amputees and clinicians consistently identify socket fit as the biggest barrier to rehabilitation, yet they define it differently.
Patients report pain and volume fluctuation, while clinicians focus on gait mechanics. A shared definition is missing, which may prevent effective problem-solving.
Key findings
01Socket fit is perceived as the main factor affecting rehabilitation by 52% of amputees and 65.7% of clinicians.
02Participants use the term 'socket fit' to describe different experiences: amputees focus on pain and quality of life, while clinicians focus on gait and component adjustment.
03There is no standardized definition of socket fit, leading to communication difficulties where solving one aspect (e.g., comfort) may not address another (e.g., gait symmetry).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study relies on self-reported perceptions and does not measure objective clinical outcomes or actual rehabilitation success. The definition of 'socket fit' was not standardized, making it difficult to compare specific issues across participants. The interview sample was small (18 participants) and self-selected, potentially skewing results toward those with stronger opinions. The study was conducted in the UK, which may limit generalizability to other healthcare systems with different resource levels.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the Imperial College London Joint Research Compliance Office.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that improving a patient's comfort will automatically improve their gait or rehabilitation outcome. The study highlights that 'socket fit' means different things to different people; a comfortable socket may still impede gait mechanics, and vice versa.