VUB-CYBERLEGs CYBATHLON 2016 Beta-Prosthesis: case study in control of an active two degree of freedom transfemoral prosthesis.
Louis L Flynn, Joost Geeroms, Tom van der Hoeven and 2 others
PMID 29298695WHAT IT FOUND
A powered transfemoral prosthesis let an amputee complete sit-to-stand, hurdles, slope and stairs with a handrail.
Knee torque assistance was measured, but training was short and some tasks were not completed, so this is not evidence it helps patients.
Key findings
01During sit-to-stand testing, the knee provided a modest 20 Nm assistive torque while standing.
02During stair testing, the pilot used a handrail, and the device's maximum extension torque was about 60 Nm at about 30 degrees of knee flexion.
03The stepping-stones task was not attempted because the pilot had limited balance control and the prosthesis lacked inversion and eversion compensation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This describes one pilot, so it cannot show how a group of transfemoral amputees would respond. The pilot had a high femoral amputation and limited balance, and training was short, so the result may not apply to people with different residual limb length or more practice. Some tasks were not attempted or required a handrail, and the device was heavy and slow because the battery voltage was reduced. There was no comparison group, random allocation, blinding, or standard clinical outcome measure, so it is not evidence of efficacy.
Declared interests
Funded by Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek and European Research Council. The pilot was recruited by sponsor VIGO International, which also provided the socket system and prosthesis alignment.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the measured assistive torque as proof that the powered prosthesis alone improves function for transfemoral amputees. It was a single pilot using a prosthesis system with a backpack computer, battery and wrist touchscreen, and stair climbing required a handrail.