Strategies for Gait Retraining in a Collegiate Runner with Transfemoral Amputation: A Case Report.
Jillian Santer, Stephanie MacDonald, Katherine Rizzone and 2 others
PMID 34123538WHAT IT FOUND
A collegiate runner with a transfemoral amputation reported complete resolution of phantom limb pain after eight weeks of running gait retraining.
She also showed improved running mechanics and faster sprint times, though this single case cannot prove the treatment works for others.
Key findings
01The athlete experienced complete resolution of phantom limb pain after eight weeks of rehabilitation and did not initiate the prescribed medication.
02Running gait retraining led to measurable improvements in running mechanics, including increased cadence and reduced abnormal hip movements.
03The athlete achieved a personal best in the 60-meter dash, reducing her time by three seconds to 14.64 seconds.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This is a single case report, so the results cannot be generalized to other patients. The study used 2D video analysis rather than the gold-standard 3D motion capture, which may affect the precision of kinematic measurements. The intervention was multifaceted, including strengthening, balance, and gait drills, making it impossible to determine which specific component resolved the pain. There was no control group or comparison intervention. The athlete also received care from an athletic trainer and a prosthetist, with concurrent adjustments to her prosthesis fit, which could have influenced outcomes. The cause of the phantom limb pain was not definitively established, only hypothesized to be related to gait mechanics.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that gait retraining will resolve phantom limb pain in other amputees. This result comes from a single, highly motivated collegiate athlete with a specific prosthetic setup and multidisciplinary care. The contribution of any single part of the treatment cannot be separated from the others.