Trunk Muscle Characteristics: Differences Between Sedentary Adults With and Without Unilateral Lower Limb Amputation.
Jaclyn M Sions, Emma H Beisheim, Mark A Hoggarth and 4 others
PMID 33684366WHAT IT FOUND
Sedentary adults with one leg amputation had lower deep trunk muscle activity on the sound side, and more fat in back muscles after transtibial amputation.
People with transfemoral amputation showed side-to-side trunk muscle differences.
Key findings
01Adults with transtibial or transfemoral lower limb amputation had lower multifidi muscle activity on the sound side than controls.
02Adults with transtibial lower limb amputation had more fat within the erector spinae back muscles than controls and adults with transfemoral amputation.
03Adults with transfemoral lower limb amputation had significant side-to-side differences, with the sound side showing more multifidi and erector spinae fat and less erector spinae volume.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that amputation caused the trunk muscle differences. Participants were sedentary, middle-aged-to-older, at least 1 year post amputation, and using a prosthesis, so results do not cover active adults, recent amputation, or non-prosthesis users. The sample was relatively small, and only 39 participants completed both ultrasound and MRI. Low back pain was not used as a covariate, although trunk muscle characteristics were similar between adults with and without low back pain. MRI quality prevented assessment of anterior trunk muscles such as psoas and quadratus lumborum. Ultrasound was done prone with the prosthesis on but did not account for prosthesis weight, residual limb length, or muscle volume. MRI was difficult in this population: 16% of screened adults with amputation were ineligible, and 23% of eligible participants did not complete the scan.
Declared interests
No conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text. The publication types list NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these trunk muscle differences as proof that amputation caused them or that trunk exercises will improve mobility. The study was cross-sectional, did not test an intervention, and included only sedentary adults at least 1 year post amputation who used a prosthesis.