Psychosocial Factors Influence Physical Activity after Dysvascular Amputation: A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study.
Matthew J Miller, Megan A Morris, Dawn M Magnusson and 4 others
PMID 32936512WHAT IT FOUND
People after dysvascular lower-limb amputation described activity as shaped by prosthesis trust, fear of falling, effort and time, and social outlook.
Step count related to Timed Up-and-Go, not disability scores.
Key findings
01Physical activity after dysvascular lower-limb amputation was described through four overlapping themes: perceptions of the prosthesis, fear during mobility, influence of amputation on life activities, and positive outlook within social interactions.
02Higher steps per day correlated with better Timed Up-and-Go time (r = −0.58; P = .007) but not with WHODAS 2.0 disability score (r = −0.18; P = .44).
03Mixed-methods joint display suggested participants with better Timed Up-and-Go and positive outlook tended to have higher steps per day, while participants with worse Timed Up-and-Go despite positive outlook may not be capable of higher activity.
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
Only 20 people were studied. 22 potential participants were selected, one could not be contacted, and one refused. The sample was purposive and predominantly non-Hispanic white men with unilateral transtibial amputation, so themes may not fit women, other racial groups, or different amputation levels. All participants were ambulating independently with a prosthesis and were at least 1 year after dysvascular amputation, excluding people who cannot use a prosthesis or have recent stroke or cancer-related amputation. The small sample size and use of one measure for each construct limits generalizability of quantitative findings. The themes were exploratory, not specifically measured, and could not be quantitatively analyzed. No intervention was tested, so the study cannot show what changes physical activity.
Declared interests
No conflicts-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text. The publication types note research support, N.I.H., extramural.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that treating prosthesis confidence, fear of falling, or social outlook will increase physical activity. This study described experiences and correlations in 20 people; it did not test an intervention.